Monday 28 November 2016 13:42, UK
Stuart Barnes on England's win against Argentina, defensive concerns and Ireland's wonderful season.
1. As expected England made it 12 from 12 in 2016 but few foresaw the circumstances of the match. England down to 14 men after five minutes changes the shape of the England game and the entire game plan. Teams prepare for periods of play one man down but rarely the full duration of a Test match.
There's not much to say about the sending off other than the decision was correct. There was no malice, just awful timing and a moment's freeze when Elliot Daly realised where he was. We have seen this before and we will see it again.
Starting with the positives, England's game management was excellent. They adapted to the man down and when Argentina roared back into the game in the second half, England were smart enough to slow the game down and take the sting out of the Pumas with some intelligent set-piece work. Had Owen Farrell been his usual reliable self, England would have won with ease.
The not-so-good side is the number of one-on-one tackles England are missing. It cannot be put down to the numerical disadvantage because England have been averaging 22 missed tackles against them for the last three matches. On Saturday the count was 24. Not surprisingly this translates into the concession of tries, 12 in the last three games. After watching the Australian game with Ireland over a glass of red on Saturday night, there is no doubt that England could be in trouble unless this aspect of the game is sorted out and quickly.
2. The loss of Billy Vunipola is a hammer blow for club and country. The No 8 was half an hour into another titanic performance when injury brought his match to a premature conclusion. It is being reported that he is unlikely to make the Six Nations. Thoughts turn to New Zealand as fingers cross. In his absence it appears certain that Nathan Hughes will be thrust into the heart of the England team next week. The Wasp can do a passable impersonation of big Billy as a ball carrier although Vunipola has, under Eddie Jones, grown into one of the major parts of the team, as both personality and player.
3. What a wonderful autumn for Ireland. They may have lost to New Zealand but that All Black team fired not a single blank on the day. They were not quite up for the fight in France on Saturday night with the season's end drawing rapidly into view. France did well and played some decent rugby but the All Blacks were always in control and any confidence in France should perhaps remain tempered until they produce results in the Six Nations.
I digress, sorry; back to Ireland. The win against Australia was a display of resilience and resolve. It was an illustration of their strength in depth and their understanding of what it takes to beat the best. In this calendar year they have beaten New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. After the disappointment of their World Cup quarter-final defeat, Joe Schmidt will be delighted with the manner of Ireland's bounce back. They are contenders to host the World Cup in 2023 they could yet be contenders for the latter stages in 2019.
4. Staying on the Irish theme, has any individual done more than Tadhg Furlong to thrust his name from the fringes to the centre for the Lions tour? The Leinster tighthead seems to have found a new level of performance around the park to go with his developing work in the tight. Furlong has probably overtaken WP Nel as the favourite for the tighthead shirt for the first Test....there's a long way to go though.
5. If Agustin Creevy was either British or Irish the debate over who should lead the Lions would be resolved. The Pumas hooker was exceptionable against England as hooker and leader. He has been so all season.
6. His performance rather emphasised the less potent performance levels of Dylan Hartley. The favourite to captain the Lions is struggling to impose his game and continues to miss way too many tackles. Jones was comfortable enough to substitute him with just under 20 minutes remaining and England lost no shape or tactical focus. But there is an undoubted sense that the Saint is a popular skipper of the squad. Warren Gatland's suggestion of a tour captain, rather than an appointed Test captain looks smart, but there's a long way to go and it must be said that Hartley came into the autumn series off the back of little or no rugby.
7. The last Lions skipper, Sam Warburton, is not going to be getting his Welsh openside jersey back anytime soon. In an underwhelming game, Justin Tipuric delivered an outstanding performance for Wales. His late try just rewards for a superb 80 minutes. Most of the UK and Ireland are fans of the Osprey but Gatland has never been quite as convinced.
8. It was a good result for Wales, if not a great performance but they showed enough to suggest that while they might not beat New Zealand nor Australia for another century they could do some damage against an off-key England in the Six Nations. I don't see Wales making an inexorable move towards Tokyo but I am not rushing to write them off in the forthcoming Six Nations. They might just try and target England in Cardiff.
9. It is hard to assess the Wales effort because South Africa were deplorable. Their failure to catch, pass, run good lines and make the most basic of decisions left them looking like the worst Springbok team I have ever seen...I could go on but what's the point kicking a failed rugby state when it's down. Politicians, coaches and players have plenty of work to do before 2017 rings itself in.
10. Finally, next Saturday. For Eddie Jones, Australia is the perfect way to bring the curtain down on what will have been the perfect year of results. But it is also the perfect way for Michael Cheika to show the world that Australia is out of their transitional trough. They may have lost to Ireland, may be conceding too many penalties but there is plenty to like about this touring Australian team. England could find this one unlucky 13 if they don't sharpen their defence up. It is a wonderful way to wind up the 2016 international series. I know you won't miss it...
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