Farewell to 2015, the year when Japan defeated South Africa in the World Cup and the United States beat New Zealand in Sevens. Out with the old? Not quite, but there is a fresher feel to the international game generated by winds of change.
The World Cup was the most compelling of the professional era, the best since 1995 when Jonah Lomu announced himself on the international stage. A few weeks after New Zealand returned home with the Webb Ellis Cup this year, the first time they had won the trophy on foreign soil, Lomu died at the age of 40, prompting a genuine international outpouring of grief at the passing of a humble man who was the game’s greatest export.
New Zealand were one of three international winners this year: Australia, reborn under Michael Cheika, won the truncated Rugby Championship and Ireland retained the Six Nations after an action-fuelled final day that started with three teams in contention for the title. Wales set a high bar with a second-half spree in Rome, Ireland vaulted it in Murrayfield and England were a converted try away from clearing it in a 90-point encounter with France at Twickenham.
On another day, England might have had a penalty try at the end when a maul they were driving towards the French line collapsed, but the finish summed up the Stuart Lancaster era: close, but not quite. They finished second in the Six Nations for the fourth time in four years, and if that were deemed not good enough by the cheque-signers in Twickenham, they would have taken second place in the World Cup group. Seconds out.
It was not a good World Cup for Europe. Italy, fortunate to defeat Canada, exited at the group stage along with England while Ireland, regarded as Europe’s best hope, were overrun by Argentina. Wales had the meanest defence in the tournament but one of the bluntest attacks and failed to hold on against South Africa and it was Scotland, whitewashed in the Six Nations, who came closest to the semi-finals, going down to Australia by a late, disputed penalty, in a match that ended bizarrely when the referee Craig Joubert blew his whistle for full-time as he was sprinting to the changing rooms.
Scotland will host England in the first match of the Eddie Jones era when they should offer something more than the feeble challenge they mustered in the fixture in 2014. That night marked Scotland’s nadir, and while Vern Cotter’s first Six Nations in charge was markedly unsuccessful in terms of results, the performances were better and they were more comfortable in possession.
Ireland are the early favourites for the Six Nations, but their head coach Joe Schmidt faces his most challenging year. Paul O’Connell has followed Brian O’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara into retirement, and while Ireland struggled against the pace Argentina showed in attack, in getting the ball away from the breakdown and the speed the Pumas had in the back three, the championship is a more restrained affair and the week before they had comfortably overcome France.
Ireland start with Wales at home, another side well conditioned for European arm wrestles. The two teams, along with Scotland, remain under the same management and are likely to change little, but England have chosen to ditch the thoroughbred approach of Lancaster and bring in Jones, who will add a pinch of mongrel. France are looking to turn back time: having spent most of the professional era trying to emulate England, organised and disciplined, they have appointed Guy Novès as head coach, the architect of Toulouse’s golden period who has pledged to restore the French way.
His dropping of Mathieu Bastareaud from the squad was symbolic. Novès believes that the World Cup marked a watershed for the game, proof that the era of big is beautiful had passed. The way Japan overcame the Springboks not only raised interest in the World Cup on its opening weekend, but the manner of the victory, widening the point of attack and seeking space rather than contact, made others think. The way they won the game, running a penalty in the final minute rather than going for the kick that would have tied the scores, was the highlight of the year.
Jones is unlikely to bring that approach to England, not least because he will have greater ball-winning capacity at forward and the strength of the English game through the ages has been its set-piece prowess, mauling and organisation. Just as Novès will try to make France look more like France again, so Jones will not try to build a new foundation but enhance it.
Jones lamented after Japan’s exit from the World Cup that too many coaches were trying to emulate New Zealand and so diluting national characteristics. All four of the four home unions have a foreign head coach, three New Zealanders and an Australian, and while France have stuck with one of their own, resisting any temptation to appoint Sir Clive Woodward, Novès has to contend with not only a playing style but a league system that places a heavy burden on players.
The New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said during the World Cup that the Top 14 posed the single biggest threat to the international game because its clubs were making generous offers to players in the southern hemisphere. Toulon this year became the first club to win the European Cup three years in a row, but there are few Frenchmen in their starting lineup.
When he was at Toulouse, Novès signed overseas players sparingly, looking for those who would fit into his way of playing. Other coaches are less discriminating, often buying for the sake of it, as the likes of the Wales and Lions’ flanker Dan Lydiate found out when he joined Racing Metro (now known as Racing 92).
If there is to be one hope for 2016, after a year when smart play won big matches, it is that France rediscover themselves under Novès. He starts with Italy at the Stade de France and it would be something if the tournament started as the previous one ended, in a blaze of running rugby. That is unlikely given the insistence of the organisers on a February start, the month which is forecast to be the chilliest of the winter, but a new year begins with resolution; as the World Cup edifices at Twickenham come down before the Six Nations, is it too much to hope that what they came to embody remains?
FRANCE OPEN EYES TO NEW DAWN
Guy Novès has promised a change in France’s style of rugby after four years of nothingness under Philippe Saint-André and his first squad this week is instructive.
Novès has recalled two specialist fly-halves, François Trinh-Duc and Jules Plisson in an indication that the tactical hub of the team will lie in that position rather than scrum-half, while the bulldozing centre Bastareaud is among the World Cup squad players who will be remaining with their clubs.
Bastareaud’s graceless approach is not calibrated to Novès’s desire to rekindle France’s traditional flair and he has the option of pairing Gaël Fickou and Wesley Fofana in the midfield, but the Toulon centre may be considered a victim of circumstances.
His job under Saint-André was to get over the gainline and make ground, but a few weeks ago, playing for Toulon at Clermont Auvergne, he showed another side to his game, setting up a try by committing defenders before flicking a reverse left-handed pass.
Had Ma’a Nonu spent the last four years with France, he would probably not have such a reputation for versatility. Les Bleus became one-dimensional, operating in a world of black and white, and progress under Novès will not simply be made by changing personnel but by opening old eyes.
One aspect which is likely to be the same is that the scrum-half is likely to be the goal-kicker with Morgan Parra, Maxime Machenaud and Sébastien Bézy, the * who is one of five uncapped players called up, in the 30.
This is an extract from our weekly rugby union email, The Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page, find ‘The Breakdown’ and follow the instructions.
THE HALFPENNY DILEMMA
Leigh Halfpenny may be recovering from a knee injury he sustained before the World Cup, but the Wales and Lions’ full-back has plenty to occupy him as he works his way back to fitness.
Halfpenny is in the second year of his contract with Toulon and has the option of a third. He has received an offer to return to Wales from the region he left to move to France, Cardiff Blues, as well as the Scarlets. Wasps have also declared their interest and expect a reply within the next week.
Halfpenny is said to be undecided about which way to turn: the temptation to return home is tempered by a concern that Toulon have not got their money’s worth since signing him on a contract reported to be worth £600,000 a year because he was injured this season and at the beginning of the last one.
There is a potential flashpoint this summer when Wales tour New Zealand at the time the Top 14 reaches its conclusion. International rugby takes precedence over the club game so if Wales pick Halfpenny, he does not have a choice to make. If Toulon insisted he stay with them, should they be involved in the play-offs as they very probably will, World Rugby, if it received a complaint from the Welsh Rugby Union, would order the French Rugby Federation to stop the full-back from playing for Toulon while Wales were on tour.
Wasps have an advantage over other Premiership clubs mulling over a move for Halfpenny with their director of rugby, David Young, in charge of the Blues when Halfpenny made his debut for them. A problem should he move to England would be full international release because Premiership Rugby regulations prevent non-England players from joining up with their countries outside official release periods, which would rule him out of Wales’s fourth autumn international, training weeks ahead of the November schedule and Six Nations and he would have to return to his club during the two rest weekends in the championship.
The WRU would prefer that he returned to Wales because the national head coach Warren Gatland faces a selection dilemma next season when he will only be able to choose three wild card players, that is those who have turned down a regional contract to play in England or France. Jamie Roberts, George North, Luke Charteris and Rhys Priestland, who has reversed his decision to take a break from international rugby, will be in the Premiership next season, while Alun Wyn Jones has yet to agree new national dual contracts, unlike the scrum-half Rhys Webb, a Saracens target, who signed this week.
PRO 12 NUMBERS ADDING UP IN SCOTLAND
When Edinburgh played Leinster at Murrayfield in the opening round of the Guinness Pro 12 last September, the crowd was 2,479, the lowest of the round. A month later, the figure for their second home match, against Ospreys, was four fewer.
Nearly 10 times that number turned up for the festive derby against Glasgow, 23,642, the league’s second highest attendance of the season, beaten only by the 25,600 who saw Leinster convincingly defeat Munster at Thomond Park in the same round.
Last season, the crowd at Murrayfield for the Scottish derby was 15,810, up from 10,125 the previous year. The professional game in Scotland has turned in the last year: Glasgow are the Pro 12 champions and Edinburgh moved into the top half of the table following that 23-11 success over Glasgow.
Eight teams are contesting the four play-off positions with 11 points separating the Scarlets at the top of the table and Ospreys in eighth. Perhaps Cardiff Blues in ninth should not be discounted having played seven of their first 10 matches away from the Arms Park.
Munster slipped to sixth after the 24-7 defeat to Leinster, their third successive reverse in the league in a run that included back-to-back European Champions Cup defeats to Leicester. The faithful at Thomond Park are getting restless in the post-Paul O’Connell era. Ulster at Ravenhill are next up on Saturday.
Happy new year.
STILL WANT MORE?
• Jack Clifford interview: ‘It’s flattering to be linked with England. We all have aspirations.’
• Gloucester’s Matt Kvesic steps up claim to take over as England’s No7.
• And to subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page, find ‘The Breakdown’ and follow the instructions.
