The Autumn Test matches in 2012 do double duty. First there will be the annual pissing contest between north and south, and second, the dance cards for the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be worked out.
And everybody wants to dance with an ugly partner.
England
England coach’s Stuart Lancaster has decided to not use players based in France because of training realities, and in doing so had to forgo selecting the form openside flanker in Europe, Steffon Armitage.
Flyhalf: Gloucester’s Freddie Burns, a risk-taker and a better running threat than Toby Flood, was left out of the squad but was added late in case Owen Farrell had to help out a crocked midfield. Burns can launch his backs better than the other two and Flood is a yawn compared to him, but the older man took the 10 shirt away from Farrell on the Summer tour and will keep it for now.
Charlie Hodgson, one of the form English flyhalves in the Premiership this season and the best passer, won’t be playing as he has retired from international rugby. Nor is another old stager in another position in the squad, Nick Easter, playing. He is the form No. 8 in the land but blew out too many candles at his last birthday party.
Hooker: The big weakness in the squad is at number 2. With Thompson retired from all rugby and Mears from Test matches, Hartley was the ordained starter and Tom Youngs (brother of scrummie Ben) the impact bench hooker. But in his last game before the autumn Tests Hartley stuffed his knee —seriously, some said.
Who was brought in as cover? With a couple of other third-stringers also injured they recalled Aussie battler David Paice, literally a journeyman. Born in Darwin and a Queensland junior rep player, he showed up at London Irish about ten years ago with nothing but a backpack and a versatile passport, and stayed there.
He’s played a couple of Tests already and could start against Fiji, because the uncapped Youngs throws to the lineout about as well as a centre would, because that’s what he used to be.
Leadership: Skipper Chris Robshaw is a natural leader but he will miss the command of Dylan Hartley to help him out, and even that of Courtney Lawes on defence, if they cannot play.
Debutantes: England used eight of them in Six Nations this year and five more on the Summer tour. The new team did well to finish second in Six Nations but had trouble with the physicality of the Boks in the three-Test series in June. With great merit they drew the third game, but it was the tenth in a row without a win against the Boks.
Match-day questions: Will Jamie Joseph be fit to play, and even if he is, who will play at inside centre? Brad Barritt looks a chance to partner Manu Tuilagi — or will they use a second flyhalf? Will LHP Joe Marler be fit and if not, will there be two debutantes in the front row against Fiji — young giant Mako Vunipola at LHP with Tom Youngs at hooker? When will Lawes and Hartley be available, if at all?
Nitty-gritty: England start their campaign against Fiji and it may serve them well to let the ball sing a bit to get the backs in the groove to convert the few chances they will get against their next three opponents.
Then they play the old Tri Nations teams: the Wallabies, Springboks and All Blacks, one after the other, but this should not faze the Englishmen. They are the bogey team for the Wallabies and finished well against the Boks in June. No doubt they have seen the frailties of the All Blacks in 2012 and unlike the other teams to face them this year, think they can do something about it.
England Squad
Forwards: Dan Cole, David Paice, Joe Marler*, Matt Mullan, Mako Vunipola, David Wilson, Dylan Hartley*, Tom Youngs. Mouritz Botha, Courtney Lawes*, Tom Palmer, Geoff Parling, James Haskell, Phil Dowson, Tom Johnson, Ben Morgan, Chris Robshaw, George Robson,Thomas Waldrom, Tom Wood.
Backs: Mike Brown, Freddie Burns, Alex Goode, Chris Ashton, Ugo Monye, Charlie Sharples, Anthony Allen, Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph*, Manu Tuilagi, Jordan Turner-Hall*, Billy Twelvetrees, Owen Farrell, Toby Flood, Danny Care, Lee Dickson, Ben Youngs*.
* indicates under injury cloud
Players unavailable include: Alex Corbisiero, Tom Croft, Ben Foden.
Form players: Chris Ashton, Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley, Ugo Moyne.
Talking points:
- The Springbok bogey and the Aussie rabbit.
- Lineout throwing
- Fitness of Lawes and Hartley.
Ireland
One of the oddest choices in any European squad for the Autumn Tests was that of THP Michael Bent, who did not start for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby this year but sat six times on the bench. Being just off the plane to play for Leinster, the Ireland team management hadn’t seen him in action when the team was picked and they didn’t see him play last weekend either against Ospreys.
It’s possible that Bent will get on the park because there as many good THPs in Ireland as there are eligible hookers in England: very few. Not a great name for a THP, by the way: Bent.
Things are better on the LH side with Healey and outstanding Munster prospect Kilcoyne, who has been starting in some big games recently. Court is not bad on that side either but you would want him in the 3 shirt.
They’ll want their scrum to be better than when it was shredded by England at the end of Six Nations and I suggest they light a few candles for the continued good health of THP Mike Ross.
Leadership: Ireland will miss the leadership of Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell (if he doesn’t play) in their first game, against the Springboks. Big Paulie has played just two lots of 60 minutes since May anyway.
Match-day question: Will the wait for Strauss be worth it? When the original squad was named people wondered who would be starting as hooker for Ireland. It would have been a pointer to whom coach Kidney was looking at for 6N and whoever got the gig would be the Ireland hooker the Lions selectors would be looking at.
Since then Rory Best has been injured and Richardt Strauss, now eligible for Ireland after his three-year residency, will be packing down in the first scrum against the Springboks. He will see his cousin Adriaan Strauss directly opposite him on the ‘Crouch’.
Nitty Gritty: Ireland have to bounce back from the worst defeat in their history in Hamilton — 60-0. Somehow they have to convert the excellence of their professional club teams into performance for the country.
Ireland Squad
Forwards: Michael Bent, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Declan Fitzpatrick*, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry, David Kilcoyne, John Muldoon, Mike McCarthy, Kevin McLaughlin, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell*, Peter O’Mahony, Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan, Richardt Strauss, Dan Tuohy.
Backs: Tommy Bowe, Darren Cave, Gordon D’Arcy, Keith Earls, Craig Gilroy, Denis Hurley, Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall, Paul Marshall, Conor Murray, Fergus McFadden, Ronan O’Gara*, Tiernan O’Halloran, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Simon Zebo.
Players unavailable include: Rory Best, Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearny, Sean O’Brien, Brian O’Driscoll.
Form players: Cian Healey, Johnny Sexton
Talking points:
- Will bench Super Rugby THP Michael Bent get an Ireland cap?
- Who’s captain if POC can’t play?
France
They have some interesting players in their squad and they could have a brand new centre pairing this autumn. People may remember Wesley Fofana of Clermont from Six Nations but 18-year-old. Gaël Fickou could be a mystery man. He was sensational in the Under 20 tournament this year for France and had a few Leicester Tigers pawing empty air in the Heineken Cup a few weeks back.
Halves: France have scrumhalves to burn but they have few quality flyhalves. François Trinh-Duc and Frédéric Michalak will share that role against the Wallabies but neither has starred in Test matches for some time. Scrummie Parra on the other hand is a star, when not petulant, and has recovered from a leg injury to start against the Wallabies. He will be backed up by June debutante Maxime Machenaud, who has not impressed me playing for Racing this year.
Leadership: Thierry Dusautour will be missed. Old stager Pascal Papé will lead the team.
Match-day question: When will Fickou play? He was not chosen against the Wallabies, their bogey team, but he will probably get a run against Argentina and perhaps a start against Samoa. If you get a chance do watch him; there is a bit of Jeremy Guscott about him and he is strong on his feet and well balanced in anything he does.
Nitty-gritty: The last time they played the Wallabies they shipped 59 points in Paris but will that kind of team show up? Ora team with starch like the one that could have won the Rugby World Cup last year if certain things had been noticed?
France Squad
Forwards: Eddy Ben Arous, Thomas Domingo, Yannick Forestier, Benjamin Kayser, Guilhem Guirado, Dimitri Szarzewski, David Attoub, Vincent Debaty, Nicolas Mas, Yoann Maestri, Pascal Papé, Jocelino Suta, Sébastien Vahaamahina, Damien Chouly, Yannick Nyanga, Pierrick Gunther, Alexandre Lapandry, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles.
Backs: Maxime Machenaud, Morgan Parra, Frédéric Michalak, Jules Plisson, François Trinh-Duc, Vincent Clerc, Brice Dulin, Benjamin Fall, Gaël Fickou, Wesley Fofana, Florian Fritz, Yoann Huget, Vincent Martin, Maxime Mermoz.
Players unavailable include: Thierry Dusatoir, Alexis Pallison, Imanol Harinordoquy and Christopher Tolofua (suspended)
Form Players: Morgan Parra, Louis Picamoles, Gaël Fickou, Wesley Fofana
Scotland
Unlike other Six Nations teams Scotland had a successful Summer tour.
They will have a big pack of uncompromising forwards and to have any chance to beat the Springboks — or the All Blacks, whom they have never beaten — they will have to front up for 80 minutes.
There won’t be a lot of frills from either team in the Springboks game.
Playing in a gale with the rain going sideways will help as it did in June in Newcastle (NSW) against the Wallabies, who were like strangers in a strange land. Failing that they have to force errors from the All Blacks and Boks, both of whom have been vulnerable or inaccurate at the breakdown in TRC, and sometimes both.
The Scots don’t score many tries even at at home. In Six Nations their backs were willing enough but if they got any ball they fluffed their chances with it. Passing and catching practice is recommended and new skills coach Scott Johnson should have them running up and down the park all day.
Dutchman Tom Visser qualified for Scotland on residency during the summer. He is a big finisher but will be useless unless they can get the ball to him.
The domestic form of their two pro teams has been just middling and both have lost their first two games in the Heineken Cup, with Edinburgh shipping nearly 80 points and not scoring any themselves.
Match day question: Who will play where in the back row?
Nitty-gritty: The Scots have to get a dividend from that successful Summer tour. Bad weather will help them get closer to New Zealand and South Africa but they will have to feed off every scrap they get.
Scotland Squad
Forwards: John Barclay, Kelly Brown, Geoff Cross, David Denton, Ross Ford and Grant Gilchrist, Ryan Grant, Richie Gray, Dougie Hall, Jim Hamilton, Allan Jacobsen, Alastair Kellock, Scott Lawson, Stuart McInally, Ross Rennie, Tom Ryder, Alasdair Strokosch and Kyle Traynor.
Backs: Mike Blair, Nick De Luca, Alex Dunbar, Max Evans, Stuart Hogg, Peter Horne and Ruaridh Jackson, Lee Jones, Greig Laidlaw, Sean Lamont, Rory Lawson, Peter Murchie, Henry Pyrgos, Matt Scott, Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser.
Players unavailable include: Joe Ansbro, Chris Cusiter, Rory Lamont, Graeme Morrison, Nikki Walker and Duncan Weir.
Form players: Tom Visser, Richie Gray
Talking points
- Pacific tour dividend
- The ball work of the backs
- The weather
Wales
Other teams playing in the Autumn Tests have more injuries than Wales do but few of them will have two injuries more critical to their team than those of blindside flanker Dan Lydiate and THP Adam Jones are to Wales. Lydiate was the player of the 2012 Six Nations, but Jones will be missed even more because there is not another Welsh THP close to him in ability.
The Grand Slam Champions have an awkward game against Argentina, then play New Zealand whom they haven’t beaten in 60 years, and Australia, who beat them five times in eight months. They have a chance against the top two ranked sides, especially against the Wallabies at home, but they have to be able to grind out a win which they couldn’t do in those five games.
Wales have one bit of luck in the prop department against Argentina, however: the injury to Jones will not be exploited by iconic Puma LHP Rodrigo Roncero because he has retired.
Match-day questions: Will Priestland perform? He will start ahead of Biggar and Hook at flyhalf but he has to bring more to his game. He is a danger on the run but when he decides to pass he does it from too deep instead of passing in motion to attract tacklers away from outside men. No doubt Jonathon Davies will take all the kicks for goal now, so that will let Priestland concentrate on his play.
Ryan Jones will replace Lydiate if his shoulder comes right in time but it not, what price is Justin Tipuric to play 7 and Warburton 6?
Nitty-gritty: The form of Welsh professional teams has been poor this season. The national side has to become the team for Welsh fans to follow by playing to their Six Nations form and getting good results.
Wales Squad
Forwards: Scott Andrews, Ryan Bevington, Paul James, Aaron Jarvis, Gethin Jenkins, Richard Hibbard, Ken Owens, Mathew Rees, Bradley Davies, Luke Charteris, Ian Evans, Alun Wyn Jones, Toby Faletau, Ryan Jones*, Rob McCusker, Aaron Shingler, Justin Tipuric. Josh Turnbull, Sam Warburton.
Backs: Ashley Beck, Dan Biggar, Alex Cuthbert, Jonathon Davies; Leigh Halfpenny, James Hook, George North, Travis Knoyle, Mike Phillips, Rhys Priestland, Jamie Roberts, Harry Robinson, Liam Willams, Lloyd Williams, Scott Williams.
Players unavailable include: Adam Jones, Dan Lydiate
Form players: Alex Cuthbert, George North
Talking points:
- The missing Adam Jones factor
- The challenge of grinding out a win.
