When it comes to dishing out God’s gifts, you feel the Almighty could be a little more even-handed. Take Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii for example. He is the extraordinary young centre who helped steer Australia to that exhilarating victory over England at Twickenham last weekend in one of the most thrilling games ever seen there. Suaalii was playing his first ever senior match in rugby union at the age of just 21. As a youngster his school had to seek special dispensation for him to play in the first XV as he was under 14. He later switched to rugby league and at 17 made his debut for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. Two years later Rugby Australia coughed up £2.6 million to get him to switch codes again back to the 15-man game.
As a youngster, Suaalii’s school had to seek special dispensation for him to play in the first XV as he was under 14
And now here he was in a beleaguered Wallabies team, facing a possible demolition by England. After all, they had already shipped 67 points to Argentina in the Rugby Championship. But here, the Wallabies were inspired in a marvellous game. At the heart of it all was Suaalii. He’s 16½ stone and 6ft 5in, and possessed of a perfect athletic build. He is a brilliant rugby player and an outstanding athlete, and clearly has been since he could barely stand. For heaven’s sake Lord, give the rest of us a look-in.
Australia played rugby like the Harlem Globetrotters, whipping the ball along the back line with a mesmerising series of balletic leaps, tip-ons, flicks and offloads. It was a superb team effort, though without Suaalii it would be hard to see the Aussies winning. England could have won but losing is still losing: a very bad habit. So far this autumn they have had two games and two capitulations from winning positions. Is England coach Steve Borthwick smart or tough enough? Southern hemisphere teams are very much in the ascendant but we are giving them an easy ride.
All England had to do to win was not to mess up the last restart. As it was, Maro Itoje dropped the ball after a challenge from Suaalii and the way was clear for a dazzling winning try from young winger Max Jorgensen. In the previous game against the mighty All Blacks all England had to do to win was kick a straightforward 40m penalty or set up properly for a 20m drop goal. They could manage neither, and in my view George Ford should have played his last game for England. We will see. In the World Cup England lost to late long penalties from South Africa and France. In the summer tour of New Zealand England performed extremely well but still lost two Tests from winning positions. As I said, it’s a bit of a habit.
There is something very odd going on in the England management with senior coaches coming and going, notably Felix Jones, the defence coach, who said he couldn’t work with Borthwick any longer. Kevin Sinfield was absent from Twickenham last weekend because he had booked a speaking tour in the North, thinking he would no longer be wanted in the England set-up. That’s just ghastly management isn’t it?
Now England face the mighty South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday. Just what you need after being beaten by the Aussies. But anyone looking for an example of how to treat a Bok should watch Scotland’s hooker Ewan Ashman as he tackled Eben Etzebeth, as large and unforgiving as Table Mountain. A magnificent moment but not enough. With their usual ability to bring on about a ton of extra muscle to replace the scrum, South Africa ran out relatively easy winners. But aren’t you a touch fed up with the bloody ‘bomb squad’? Eight replacements in rugby feels like far too many. Four is enough. As it is, it wouldn’t surprise me if England suddenly lift their game, goaded by all the criticism, and just have the edge over South Africa. Though I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
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