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#Post#: 106138--------------------------------------------------
Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: SiB
Date: March 21, 2023, 2:23 pm
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Scapegoat, fall guy, culprit, captain. Owen Farrell appears to
fill quite a few roles in rugby perceptions at present. I’d
diffidently offer one other. Hero. Genuine, 24-carat England
sporting hero.
Let’s go back to Dublin. After a sustained driving maul expertly
organised by Jamie George in the pilot’s seat at the back, the
England hooker broke off and scored a try. It was good for his
team’s morale, temporarily added a semblance of propriety to the
scoreboard — until the Irish forwards unleashed two outstanding
moves for two late tries.
In the aftermath, that England try stands out for the wrong
reasons. It was the only time they launched a single attack that
bothered Ireland. As an attacking machine, England —
much-improved England — did not exist.
And one man was always going to cop it for that and he has — all
over the airwaves, podcasts, newspapers and social media.
Farrell’s critics would have blamed him had the team bus run out
of petrol, and now for failing to be a magician when all the
tricks were in a top hat owned by the other team.
No doubt the Harlequins are planning their next assault. Ever
since Marcus Smith (Harlequins), the sometimes clever but
erratic fly half came into contention for England, a Harlequins
Formation Ranting team, well led by Danny Care, Mike Brown and
Ugo Monye (all former Harlequins) has campaigned for Smith to
take over from Farrell. Boring old Owen. Get rid of him. Let’s
have mighty Marcus.
Their idea appears to be based on the bogus notion that the fly
half leads the attack like a striker in football. There was a
time, probably around the 1960s and 1970s, when individual fly
halves, playing as individuals, were seen as the prime attacking
weapons. They were expected to “make breaks”, to fire attacks.
David Watkins, Barry John and Phil Bennett could all do it, so
too Tony Ward. And how many times have we seen Farrell making
dazzling breaks with dancing feet?
The comparisons are rubbish, of course. It just does not happen
like that anymore. They have invented defending. These days the
power and organisation of defence, from the fringes of the
forward play well out to the midfield, is frighteningly
complete. Just possibly, in the last quarter of a match, when
teams are tired and when one team is way behind, you may see
some twinkling feet and a fly half break clear. Charles Piutau,
the Bristol Bears legend, can also waltz through occasionally,
though he plays further out.
Otherwise, you will see the fly half trying to put colleagues
through gaps, as Johnny Sexton did armed with front-foot ball
and an electric scrum half, but the complete picture of breaks
and tryscoring demands front-foot ball, dynamic reactions all
round, usually sustained forward driving — and it demands
players running angles on to the ball and others running angles
away from it as distractions, and a whole lot of other things.
The fly half is a part of that, usually through his passing and
composure.
The idea that in an international match we should criticise
Farrell personally for not taking to the cleaners a fierce
front-up Irish defence including Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and
Josh van der Flier is poppycock.
Farrell is as fine a springboard for attack as there is in the
English game. His season with Saracens, as ever, is being
mutilated by the continual absences of their great players but
in the blessed time in the first part of the season, Farrell and
company were setting up a try barrage every week. Smith can
often be seen going for the break and occasionally achieving it
— but usually when the game is slowing later on. He can also be
seen kicking with mediocrity, going for the break and not
achieving it and actually closing the space down for his own
centres.
The Formation Ranting teams opposed to England’s captain are
really doing themselves and their national team a disservice. In
Dublin, Farrell and his midfielders — it seemed that the Manu
Tuilagi/Henry Slade/Farrell combo was about the 200th that
Farrell has had to play with in his England career — had a
fantastic battle with the Irish midfield, with the iron-hard
Henshaw alongside Aki. Unlike every other phase in the match, it
finished level.
Farrell kicked well for ground and for goal, he marshalled the
defence superbly and if you watch the replays, he spent quite
some time trying to ease people through the gaps. England just
do not have the pace, flair and speed of ball to give him a more
fertile ground.
The idea that in the modern era, Bennett or Jonny Wilkinson, or
John or Smith, or Merlin the magician, could have added to the
England score and ushered in more tries is fatuous. So is the
plan that just because a fly half has some gas, he is
automatically dangerous?
Attack? Elliot Daly will be back reasonably soon to add
attacking edge and sheer footballing class outside Farrell and
Tuilagi, with Ollie Lawrence a superb contender. I would add
pace to the ball at scrum half with Harry Randall or Alex
Mitchell, and I would switch the restored Anthony Watson to full
back and Freddie Steward to the left wing, where so many of the
kicks land.
At fly half? Farrell, but with the superb George Ford to battle
it out if he gets back to his needle-sharp best, with the young
Northampton Saints No 10, Fin Smith, aiming at the future. Also,
people who like being chummy with players should absorb the fact
that Farrell isn’t their man.
By the way, who exactly would England fans have liked their team
to be led by when they were massive underdogs against a great
side and a vast crowd, needing inspiration after a shocking
defeat? I have reported on nearly 500 games, up close. My list
would be 1. Martin Johnson 2. Lawrence Dallaglio 3. Farrell.
HTML https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/owen-farrell-is-englands-finest-fly-half-and-leader-vwrzs2h9r
#Post#: 106139--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: Quinspirational
Date: March 21, 2023, 2:35 pm
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I have no doubt Owen is a great 10 but really …. Is Jones his
godfather or even grandfather , he needs to let his infatuation
with Farrell go
#Post#: 106140--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: Sketchley
Date: March 21, 2023, 2:35 pm
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I could not read all of that, just gave up before I lost the
will to live...
These articles are normally behind a paywall, please leave them
there. Not because I care about The Times' profit or copyright
but because I don't have read Jones if they stay there :)
#Post#: 106141--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: raedarius
Date: March 21, 2023, 2:36 pm
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I'd hate to be that man's blood pressure monitor...
#Post#: 106143--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: poorfour
Date: March 21, 2023, 3:03 pm
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It's Stephen Jones, so it can safely be ignored, but what really
gets my goat is the idiotic but persistent idea that because
Marcus Smith is creative he must also therefore be
flaky/erratic/like Danny Cipriani.
He does have some work-ons at international level - he hasn't
quite adapted to the reduced time and space (especially when it
comes to grubbers), and his positional kicking isn't as
effective as Farrell's (not surprising, given that he isn't the
primary game manager for Quins).
But at the same time he is nowhere near as likely to try
something heroic but stupid as Cipriani or Finn Russell were at
the same stage of their careers.
I see Smith as a percentage player, but one who at club level
has the skills and the players around him to play a different
set of percentages than everyone else. That's only materialised
sporadically at international level - but then at international
level he's rarely had both a pack that's giving him front foot
ball and a backline that's giving him options.
#Post#: 106144--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: A222Quin
Date: March 21, 2023, 3:59 pm
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You'd like to think that The Times should be above articles for
clickbait but, no, Jones is little more than an internet WUM
these days. He's been veering off on one for years but his
needling of Marcus Smith and anyone to do with Quins over the
last year or so is veering from somewhat unprofessional to plain
personal and unpleasant. Occasionally he used to write something
interesting amongst the garbage but now it's only on the topics
of Marcus Smith hatred or Sarries (primarily Farrell/Nigel Wray
based) love.
I do agree that some of the hate OF receives is nonsense. But,
he then proceeds to do what he's accusing others of to Smithy.
Time he was pensioned off.
#Post#: 106145--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: Quinky
Date: March 21, 2023, 4:30 pm
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--- Quote from: SiB link ---
>
>
> I have reported on nearly 500 games, up close.
>
--- End Quote ---
And some of them he's even bothered to watch. A little.
Possibly. Although not both teams.
#Post#: 106146--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: T-Bone
Date: March 21, 2023, 4:48 pm
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The bloke has lost it
#Post#: 106147--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: Quinten Poulsen
Date: March 21, 2023, 5:18 pm
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Dallaglio as captain? The same bloke who turned down a
regulation kick at goal which allowed Wales to win at Wembley.
Great player but I can't remember him doing much as captain of
England.
Aside from that I don't think he's seen much of Marcus Smith
over the years as he doesn't seem to understand how he plays.
#Post#: 106149--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stephen Jones ..he’s off again
DIR By: Saintquin
Date: March 21, 2023, 5:25 pm
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He seems to have a real problem with Quins.
They must have forgot to give him his half time cuppa or
something.
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