SIX NATIONS 2013: Ben Kay says England cannot afford to underestimate the Irish in their quest for Six Nations glory
England overcame Scotland by standing up in the tackle and offloading, but will the same tactics master Ireland’s suffocating ‘choke tackle’ in Dublin on Sunday?
The way the England forwards, led by captain Chris Robshaw, are developing a quick offloading game is an exciting aspect of Stuart Lancaster’s team.
Ireland, though, will be far harder opponents to break through than Scotland. Jamie Heaslip and Co like to frustrate opponents by using their strength to hold up attackers in the tackle and then feed off the mistakes.
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Wales had a frustrating first half when they fell into this trap.
Traditionally, England would have used their big men at close quarters to break down defences. But the talk afterwards at Twickenham was how the 2013 team look to play a more mobile game helped by the emergence of young players like Joe Launchbury, Joe Marler and Tom Wood.
If England are blocked from offloading by Ireland’s tactics they will have to find the aggression at the breakdown, which helped upset the All Blacks, who are masters at slowing games down. Whoever wins this battle on Sunday will have a very good afternoon.
New boy: Stuart Lancaster is expected to offer Billy Twelvetrees another chance to impress against IrelandEngland must be warned that they cannot overdo the offloading game because it can lead to mistakes and turnovers, which kept Scotland in the game.
Ireland have far more dangerous runners than Scotland, who were still able to plunder a brilliant try following a counter-attack after Danny Care lost possession in an attacking position.
If England’s forwards look well set, apart from the battle at hooker between Dylan Hartley and Tom Youngs, head coach Lancaster’s big decisions will come in midfield.
Manu Tuilagi should be fit, judging by the talk, and he would offer England a big threat out wide, which would suit an offloading game where it is easy to pass the further the play is taken away from the heavier traffic.
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Lancaster must decide whether to pair Tuilagi alongside Brad Barritt because the latter has become used to bossing his exuberant colleague, who has the habit of flying out of the defensive line.
It will be asking a lot of Billy Twelvetrees, in only his second Test, to control his old Leicester team-mate but it is an exciting option and one Lancaster should take.
England will also hope for more than the seven scrums which cropped up against Scotland. Led by tight-head Dan Cole, they will hope to have a big advantage over Ireland, who will remember the bruising they suffered in this area last March at Twickenham.
England will want plenty of scrums to tie down Ireland’s front row, who thrive in open play.
Cian Healy may be a very good loose-head around the park but his scrummaging was suspect against Adam Jones. Twice he looked to be creaking against the tight-head, who has just returned from injury, only to be helped by the referee, Romain Poite, penalising Jones for collapsing when he should have been punished for initially hinging.
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