Rugby matters
One quote from Eddie Jones, after selecting his squad for the Six Nations, surprised me – namely, the reference that Marcus Smith needs Owen Farrell as the latter has ‘the big picture’ and can effectively play in the style of the All Black second 5/8th.
In fact it’s Marcus Smith who has the big picture and Owen Farrell, who has not played since September, who has the more limited game.
In the time that Farrell has been off through injury Smith has converted two difficult winning penalties right at the end.
Generally though, Jones has respectably started the project of bringing in and on a new generation of younger England players.
He has an easier task of selection than in cricket as every week in the Premiership he can see the best against the best in a sport not fractured by a white and red ball.
Not that he always picks them.
George Ford is by most reckoning the best fly half that has played for England on current form (Marcus Smith is yet to play on the Six Nations) but curiously was omitted.
Ben Youngs, at 32, makes the squad.
Rugby club culture always interests me.
The other day I bumped into a lady estate agent I know who is – with her partner – a fervent fan of Wasps.
I asked her how she defined the culture of the club. I drew a blank but she hoped that Alfie Barbeary would makes the squad – which he did – and cited other notable Wasp players, like the injured Joe Launchbury.
She recalled the heady days when Wasps and Leicester ruled the roost.
I said that the Harlequin toff image is hard to reconcile with Jason Leonard and now Joe Marler.
Exeter Chiefs, under Rob Baxter, seems to major on the brawn of their pack but still have the dashing Henry Slade behind them.
In today’s football world, the modern player has become like a racing horse – turning up and for owners in Group One races globally. So the players move from club to club.
Do managers really care if they are sacked if – in so doing – they are set up for life by the compensation?
Rugby had had its issues – concussion, the Bloodgate scandal at Harlequins, the quixotic way Saracens got round the salary cap to assemble a team of stars – but latterly I’m finding more integrity in the oval ball game than the round one.
