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Limping over the line - 5 takeaways from the weekend's Autumn Nations Cup action

By PA
Billy Vunipola and Eddie Jones /PA

England and France will contest the final of the Autumn Nations Cup at Twickenham on Sunday after the rivals posted big wins in the final round of group matches. Here the PA news agency examines five things we learned from Saturday’s action.

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Limping over the line
The Autumn Nations Cup has been more a test of endurance than a rugby feast for the eyes. Tournament organisers deserve credit for staging an alternative to the traditional end-of-year tours by the southern hemisphere giants that were scuppered by coronavirus, but a gruellingly contrived format will limp to a lame conclusion when an eagerly awaited rematch between England and France is robbed of credibility by politics across the Channel. A blood and thunder final could have rescued the event, but instead Les Bleus will be taking the reserves to Twickenham.

England left chasing shadows
In February, France engineered the only defeat of England’s year to launch a welcome post-World Cup revival that would have received its most compelling examination in London on Sunday. However, a deal struck between France and the Top 14 under pressure from clubs indignant at the imposition of an extended international window means Fabien Galthie can only select each player three times across a campaign spanning six matches. Choosing to pick superstars such as Antoine Dupont and Virimi Vakatawa earlier in the competition has left him with a shadow XV for the climax to the year.

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In the doldrums
And how the sport could do with the likes of Dupont and Vakatawa to strut their stuff at Twickenham. Even for purists, rugby is becoming an increasingly joyless spectacle scarred by an over-emphasis on set-piece and defence and endless exchanges of kicking. Optimists are hoping it is part of a post-World Cup downwards cycle that will soon give way to greater excitement, but for the time being the game has lost its way. Notes of frustration can be heard from players of all nations as they struggle to find and create space on a field that seems more congested than ever. How the competition has missed the genius of Fiji, who have sat out the entire group stage because of an aggressive outbreak of coronavirus, and swashbuckling Japan – who were unable to take part for travel reasons.

Hurry back fans
Historically, part of international rugby’s appeal has been the tension created by matches hanging in the balance entering the final quarter. The equivalent to what are called the championship rounds in boxing often separate rivals, who for the previous 60 minutes have fought so hard to gain any edge. But without fans providing colour and passion, the taut atmospheres that can mask sub-standard play are missing and the drama suffers as a result. The return of spectators cannot come soon enough.

England march on
Even Eddie Jones hinted at a degree of exasperation as England showed glimmers of attacking hope in a hard-fought victory at Parc y Scarlets before relying on penalties by Owen Farrell to sweep them beyond reach. It might not have been pretty but it was effective as the danger of an all-too familiar ambush on Welsh soil was averted in business-like fashion. They might not be winning new fans, but they are a serious team who would relish the chance to settle a score against world champions South Africa.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions

Have to imagine it was a one off sorta thing were they were there (saying playing against the best private schools) because that is the level they could play at. I think I got carried away and misintrepted what you were saying, or maybe it was just that I thought it was something that should be brought in.


Of course now school is seen as so much more important, and sports as much more important to schooling, that those rural/public gets get these scholarships/free entry to play at private schools.


This might only be relevant in the tradition private rugby schools, so not worth implementing, but the same drain has been seen in NZ to the point where the public schools are not just impacted by the lost of their best talent to private schools, there is a whole flow on effect of losing players to other sports their school can' still compete at the highest levels in, and staff quality etc. So now and of that traditional sort of rivalry is near lost as I understand it.


The idea to force the top level competition into having equal public school participation would be someway to 'force' that neglect into reverse. The problem with such a simple idea is of course that if good rugby talent decides to stay put in order to get easier exposure, they suffer academically on principle. I wonder if a kid who say got selected for a school rep 1st/2nd team before being scouted by a private school, or even just say had two or three years there, could choose to rep their old school for some of their rugby still?


Like say a new Cup style comp throughout the season, kid's playing for the private school in their own local/private school grade comp or whatever, but when its Cup games they switch back? Better represent, areas, get more 2nd players switching back for top level 1st comp at their old school etc? Just even in order to have cool stories where Ella or Barrett brothers all switch back to show their old school is actually the best of the best?

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