Remember when England used to be known as “boring, boring England”? That description has fitted them for most of the past three or four decades at least, but if there’s one thing you can say about the England team that lost to Ireland at the weekend, it is that they definitely aren’t boring.
Indeed, the Guinness Six Nations isn’t nearly as boring as it used to be for southern hemisphere viewers. That’s partly due to stylistic changes, and partly due to an upgrade in quality.
It was the greater entertainment value of the games that should most have grabbed those who watched the first round, and in particular, the Ireland/England face-off at the AVIVA Stadium, and in searching for reasons we should obviously also channel the law changes that have been made.
For once, the law tinkering by World Rugby has merit, particularly those changes related to the aerial battle and the space afforded to halfbacks around the fringes. But, and yes the two might be related as selections are made to keep up with evolution, the other reason rugby is starting to become more aesthetically appealing is because of the type of flyhalf being deployed by the various coaches.
Okay, we already knew about Scotland’s Finn Russell, who almost singlehandedly changed the game in the British and Irish Lions’ favour before the Springboks later arrested the momentum back in the deciding test of the 2021 series. Russell was actually pretty poor by his standards in a patchy Scotland win over Italy at Murrayfield.
The French pivots we know about too. Romain Ntamack was back pulling the strings at No 10 against Wales and did his expected job okay, but those who watched Matthieu Jalibert break the Hollywoodbets Sharks apart playing for the Bordeaux Begles in the Investec Champions Cup two weeks ago will agree that France coach Fabian Galthie is spoiled for choice.
In his first France match in more than a year, Romain Ntamack sees red for a high tackle 🟥
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 31, 2025
📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/mHdaiLTnQn
He played fullback Tomas Ramos at pivot against the All Blacks in November and he did alright there too. That selection prompted Jalibert to walk out of the French camp as he wasn’t interested in being a bench player. Well, it looks likely that with Ntamack likely to be suspended, Jalibert is poised for a shock return. And France might even be better off because of it.
SACHA MUST MATCH PENDERGAST’S DEVELOPMENT
France have depth, as do the world champion Springboks, although watching Ireland against England brought home why it is such a pity Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been almost constantly injured since he was at flyhalf in the win over the All Blacks in Johannesburg in August.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu would probably be playing at inside centre for the DHL Stormers in their north/south Vodacom URC derby against the Vodadom Bulls at the weekend were he fit. The big decision Stormers coach John Dobson will have to make in choosing between Sacha and Manie Libbok for the No 10 jersey will have to wait until both Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse are fit.
Even if playing No 12 rather than No 10, however, the 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu does need time in the saddle. This is something that Ireland’s 21-year-old flyhalf Sam Pendergast looks likely to get after he overcame some early mistakes to deliver a composed performance against England that showed some flashes of brilliance.
In Ireland, they’ve long talked about Pendergast being the next Jonathon Sexton. Maybe my memory of Sexton is clouded by his most recent games being played when he was already in his late 30s, which would naturally mean he wouldn’t have had the explosiveness of his more youthful self. But be that as it may, Pendergast looks to be potentially a better attacking player than Sexton was.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu from 60m 😮
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 2, 2024
The isiXhosa commentators enjoyed that 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CEKR5B4nB4
Just as South Africans were raving about where the Bok attacking game could go with Feinberg-Mngomezulu as the game driver, so Ireland supporters should be enthused by the prospects of what their team could do as Pendergast develops.
Early in the game though, Pendergast was coming second to the England flyhalf Marcus Smith. Four years his senior, and with 39 international caps to his name versus the Irishman’s three, Smith was the master early on, even if his first attempted cross kick, or kick pass as we are starting to refer to it, went directly into touch.
It was Pendergast’s poor clearance that led to the opening England try, and Smith was a thorn in the Irish defence in that opening period. Later in the game though, Smith started to get exposed defensively, and Smith’s many detractors in those sections of the England media who think of the line and length approach of George Ford as the way to go, would have sat back more comfortably in their chairs as a feeling of vindication took over.
ENGLAND HAVE TWO SMITHS TO CHOOSE FROM
Not that Ford would be the alternative. That would now be Fin Smith, just 22 years old, who is not quite as attack-orientated as the other Smith, but also no Ford. And that’s where England over the past year have undergone the most seismic change. Owen Farrell was a star attacker when playing for Saracens, but not when wearing the No 10 England shirt, and not when he was standing outside Ford at centre either.
England have defensive weaknesses that need to be resolved post the departure of Felix Jones, but to me it looks as though their attacking game is progressing. And they are definitely not the “boring, boring England” of yore.
But then it is hard to think of examples of teams that do fit that description in modern rugby. It is at least partly because of the flyhalves that are strutting their stuff. Locally, the Sharks have done what England are doing by becoming much more of a lethal attacking unit since it was finally accepted that Curwin Bosch, whose base instinct appeared to be to play from the pocket, was not the answer at No 10.
First Siya Masuku and now Jordan Hendrikse, with the latter being one of several exciting young local flyhalves for Rassie Erasmus to consider for the next World Cup, have helped revolutionise the Sharks approach.
It’s a long time since the Bulls warranted being called a 10-man team but if the signs are being read correctly and Willie le Roux does play pivot for them against the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, that will still be a seismic shift from what we used to consider the archetypical Bulls flyhalf. Le Roux doesn’t fit the age category of the other flyhalves mentioned here, but he does fit into their category from a stylistic perspective.
Individual brilliance from Manie Libbok 💫💫
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 11, 2025
The DHL Stormers lead 14-0 at half-time in Cape Town 🌩️
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DON’T FORGET MANIE
Let’s not forget about Libbok, who has his detractors because his eagerness to apply his attacking wizardry in situations where a different approach might be the wiser one can cost his team. For instance, the Stormers would probably have won the 2022-23 URC final, thus making it back-to-back triumphs in that competition, had he just kicked the long exit that was demanded, instead of going for a low kick that was charged down, in a defensive situation towards the end of that tense decider against Munster.
Most Bok supporters won’t forget either the missed kick that separated the Boks from what would have been a come-from-behind win over Argentina last year. That though, is the lot of flyhalves like Smith (Marcus) and Libbok - they can lose you games, but also win you games. Like Libbok did with devastating effect the following week against the Pumas in Nelspruit.
There was a moment in the Dublin game where Smith did something that had the commentators suggesting it was a piece of brilliance that only he was capable of. Wrong. Libbok could have done it too. Definitely Feinberg-Mngomezulu too. And also maybe Pendergast, Russell and perhaps even Hendrickse.
There’s a new kind of flyhalf doing the business in world rugby, and most importantly being backed by the coaches, and it is good for the sport.