It is a good time to be a Saracen. England are in the process of hiring two assistant coaches, in Steve Borthwick and Paul Gustard, with close links to the club, where Eddie Jones also used to be the director of rugby. Saracens are top of the Premiership and flying in Europe. It does not take a north London-reared genius to work out that England will be looking to pinch some of that feelgood factor and sprinkle it over the national team.
Life is rarely that simple. What works on a day-to-day basis does not always translate to a loftier stage. As history has regularly shown, picking the best club side en bloc rarely works, even in the most dominant days of Neath, Pontypool or Bath. Jones, as a much-travelled coach, will already know that from his days in Australia, South Africa and Japan, let alone Leicester where he was once a player.
With the sacking of Mike Catt, Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell from their coaching roles, the type of England approach we are liable to see is slowly starting to take shape. Gustard and Borthwick are contrasting characters but they both have clear ideas about what constitutes good practice for successful rugby teams. Gustard, in particular, will want at least one inspirational tackler in his back-row and midfield, if not more.
At Saracens his three key figures defensively have been Namibia’s Jacques Burger, Will Fraser and Brad Barritt. It is only 15 months ago that Gustard described Barritt as “unequivocably the best centre in England bar none … he should be one of the first names down on an England team sheet”.
Interesting, given the England midfield debate that continues to rage after Henry Slade’s unfortunate injury – and with Manu Tuilagi not yet back in action. The question of who will wear the No12 jersey against Scotland on 6 February is as open-ended as ever. Kyle Eastmond, Luther Burrell and Billy Twelvetrees never entirely made the position their own under Stuart Lancaster; even Saracens have shelved their policy of deploying Owen Farrell in the centres. Ollie Devoto, Sam Hill or Ryan Mills? Out in Australia, Sam Burgess may be smiling wryly.
What we do know is that Saracens, at their best, are about control, slick execution and mental fortitude. If Jones is encouraged to watch one club video it will probably be last season’s Premiership final, perhaps the crowning glory of Gustard’s famous “wolfpack” defensive strategy.
Bath’s backs had been carrying all before them, only to be stopped at source as Saracens devoured the space in front of them. Things might have been different had Anthony Watson not been clobbered by Farrell early on and forced off but Sarries’ hard-nosed determination would probably have floored allcomers. Among the stars that day were Barritt, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Jamie George and the Vunipola brothers. A betting man would probably have all six in his projected Six Nations squad.
On top of that there is Farrell, the form fly-half, the fit-again Fraser and the ever-intelligent Alex Goode. Could it be that the Northampton/Leicester/Bath era of dominance in the England starting XV is about to morph into a Saracens/Wasps/Exeter style: big but, crucially, mobile forwards, rugby-smart half-backs, busy line-breaking outside backs and swarming defence? Fresh thinking will certainly be compulsory; Gustard, in particular, is not one of life’s stereotypical communicators.
His father, Steve, was a prolific wing for Gosforth in the 70s and later became a respected coach in the north-east. Gustard Jr was a good enough flanker to have captained an England Under-21 tour to Australia in 1997 that contained many of the future stars of English rugby but injuries often prevented him from maximising his full potential at Leicester, London Irish and Saracens.
That pent-up energy has subsequently spilled over into charity marathon running and a constant attempt to keep his Saracens players on their toes. Having had T-shirts designed with slogans such as “Raised by wolves” and “Hungry like the wolf” to underline his desire for defensive intensity, he surpassed himself in 2013 by bringing two wolves into training in St Albans.
Wolves at the gates of Twickenham? There has certainly been much howling at the moon since 2003. Borthwick, once his duties with Bristol allow, will be a more conventional, understated lieutenant but the testing times he occasionally endured as England captain are recent enough for him to take nothing for granted. No one would ever query his loyalty to the cause and if he can allow himself to reveal more of his personable private self in public, that will help him further.
Jones still has to decide who else to add to the mix; it may be that an attacking input will be required even if, for now, the Australian coaches the backline himself. Before he sits down with his players, however, they already have a fair idea what to expect.
Gustard once told me he enjoyed reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, which suggests experts in certain fields can instinctively be correct even when the evidence suggests otherwise, but he also believes technology has increasing relevance within rugby. “If you get paralysis by analysis you can come unstuck because rugby is a human game. But statistics can give you an evidence-based way to format a game plan, to see areas where you may be struggling and to help selection.”
The oldest problem in the book – how to fix English rugby – is about to be tackled in a thoroughly modern, fresh-thinking manner.
Crocodile damage
It is one of the most wince-inducing sights in rugby: a player being cleared out at a ruck by an onrushing opponent, regardless of whether his planted leg is trapped or not. The worst examples are often the consequence of the so-called ’croc roll’ – also known as the ’tin-opener’ – which sees victims prised up and away from rucks in a judo-style move which can snap ligaments and bones if the tackled player is unlucky. Henry Slade was the latest victim against Wasps this month; the long-suffering Jean de Villiers has been another high-profile casualty. World Rugby has said that such tackles are permissable as long as the defending player is not grabbed around the head or neck. It may not be too long, however, before they are obliged to take another look.
Worth watching
Last week’s Exeter win over Clermont, by a margin of 31-14, was the most striking result in the Chiefs history. Now for the rematch against the Michelin men who will, ahem, be seriously pumped up. If the Chiefs can repeat the trick in the Massif Central – without Slade, Dave Ewers and Luke Cowan-Dickie among others – it really will mark them out as a special team.
