Eddie Jones could hardly be accused of half measures but closer inspection of Maro Itoje’s performance against Wales would suggest exactly that. When first Chris Robshaw and then James Haskell were described as “six and a halves” it was not a compliment – the latter even had the England kit-man print T‑shirts to make light of the label.
But pairing them together certainly paid off and in Itoje, who wore No6 in Cardiff but swapped in and out with the second‑row Courtney Lawes to scrummage at lock, one could argue Jones may have just unearthed a five and a half. And as so often is the case with Itoje, it is entirely complimentary.
For Stuart Lancaster it was British Cycling’s marginal gains that held the key to success; for Jones it seems to be the fractions, explaining the decision by saying “Maro’s a better scrummager”. The Australian said: “You want your best people scrummaging. George Kruis is a super scrummager, the best scrummaging lock in England, so we’re missing him and Maro’s probably the next best.”
Considering England’s set-piece supremacy against Wales, few could argue. Itoje did not have his usual impact against France in his first international back-row appearance, deputising for the injured Robshaw, but he improved against Wales and showed his knack of raising his performance as the stakes get higher. As Wales poured forward in the second and third quarters, Itoje was far from alone but nonetheless key in helping England to hold firm.
“I’ve played second row and I’ve played No6. The coaches make the decisions they do and I just follow,” Itoje said. “Two and a half years ago I probably would have said I’m not really a scrummager but I want to try to be the most complete player I can and that involves scrummaging and work around the field.
“Having those two quality players, Courtney and Joe [Launchbury], at the side of me helps so they have the choice of which combination they want to use. The two roles I have played numerous times for my club and here, I want to benefit the team as best I can. Whichever way the coaches feel I can do that, I will do.”
Itoje was indeed aided by the indomitable Lawes – described by Jones as like a “human ice-pack” after the match – and the indefatigable Launchbury, who made 23 tackles and 18 carries. Together the three made 59 tackles and, considering the excellence of Wales’s back row, the resilience of the tight five (and a half) was pivotal. “We train hard, we play hard. If it was a weaker group, we potentially could have crumbled at half-time at 13-8 behind,” Itoje said.
“Wales went for us in that second quarter and I think a weaker group would have cracked. The strength, resolve and the character of the team pulled us through. It was a pretty resilient group of players out there. [Against France] we were drawing at half-time; [against Wales] we were down. So we back our training and we know that teams are going to have to work very hard if they want to get a result against us. We didn’t play as well as we think this team can. We’ll go away and work on it.”
England would not admit it but after edging past Wales, all roads appear to lead to Dublin. Scotland visit Twickenham the week before that but first up is Italy a week on Sunday and Jones has said changes in personnel will be made. He has named a training squad of 25 for this rest week – the matchday squad against Wales, minus Matt Mullan who returns to Wasps, with Ellis Genge, Paul Hill and Anthony Watson added. Watson is set to feature against Italy, having last played for England in June, while Mako Vunipola is also expected to return provided he comes through for Saracens at Gloucester on Friday.
With a familiar looking squad, Jones is set to reward his “finishers” – his replacements in Wales – with starts against Italy. Ben Te’o added midfield ballast in Cardiff while Haskell made a typical aggressive contribution and Jamie George is pushing to start in place of Dylan Hartley. Owen Farrell, who may move to fly-half to accommodate Te’o, would therefore captain the side. Hartley was withdrawn after 46 minutes and was short of match fitness before the start of the Championship but Jones has resisted any temptation to send him back to Northampton, as is the case with Wasps’ Haskell.
“We are blessed to have a talented squad. Eddie talks about starters and finishers and we know the quality of our bench is up there at a very high level,” Itoje said. “The guys who come on week in and week out add so much to our team. They are all fighting for positions and it keeps everyone hungry and working hard.
“The last 10 minutes of any game are important, especially every tight game. When you are going against a top-tier nation like Wales it is always going to be tight. With the type of players we have and the quality of coaches, we always back ourselves. We’ve got Italy next and it’s full-bore towards that.” No half measures, then.
