Saturday 3 October 2015 21:11, UK
England must attack Australia out wide to keep their Rugby World Cup dreams alive, says Dewi Morris...
It's win or bust for England now.
They have to beat Australia on Saturday night and it's time for Plan B as Plan A has not worked. 'Attack is the best form of defence' should be written on a piece of paper and stuck in the England dressing room.
Get some width on the ball and take the game to Australia. It is a simple game plan that all starts up front, then have the confidence to give the ball some width.
The England front five need the game of their lives to give their backs a platform - I don't think they will destroy the Aussie scrum and line-out like some people are expecting. Michael Cheika has prepared his team very well and he is a very canny coach.
No game plan
My problem has not been with the players; they have gone out there and played their hearts out. But I really do think they have been confused by what game plan England are trying to play. The messages have not been clear and quite frankly, in the four years building up to this World Cup, there has been too much dithering on game plan and on key positions.
Sir Clive Woodward has claimed that Cheika's Wallabies are "not the brightest team". I am not so sure about that.
In Cheika, Australia have a coach who makes the right decisions - he has given his team a clear and concise direction and given them clarity. They know what they are doing out on the field and all they have to do is go out and perform. I can't see that same clarity from England so when the players go out, they are unsure of what is expected of them which creates confusion.
Matt Giteau is also a very smart player and his rugby brain will have a huge impact on this game. A lot of focus has been on the physical collisions and the dominance England can get in the set-pieces - yes, this is going to be a colossal and seismic clash, but mentally rather than physically. It will be Bernard Foley and Giteau's rugby brains against Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph.
I think Stuart Lancaster has picked a side good enough to beat Australia - as long as everything clicks into place.
England came into this World Cup with a lovely-looking back-three who showed that they can score tries. They still have that and it is whether they can produce the ammunition and then have the confidence to let them loose.
I will say that I think Stuart Lancaster has picked a side good enough to beat Australia - as long as everything clicks into place. The pressure is on them and the last thing they need to do is lose their heads. Yes, I do think that their options are limited by the centre partnership and I also think that the England back-row is lacking balance, but this is the team that has been selected and the coaches will need to take responsibility if it all goes wrong.
England have to score tries because Australia certainly will be doing that! England are not going to win by squeezing them up front and kicking goals - that will be an element for sure but England cannot rely on that.
I want to see them confident and using the skills that I know they have got. They need the courage of their convictions, and have faith in their game plan. If they falter then Australia, in Michael Hooper and David Pocock, have two of the best fetchers in the game and will punish England if they are not clinical or precise.
