Much has been made of modern rugby resembling the Super 12 matches of a year or two back and to an extent it does. What that means is that as well as the handling skills of a juggler and the fitness levels of an Olympian, rugby players now need one other item, the patience of a saint. This is true both in attack and defence. Because the ball is harder to come by teams now have to recycle many more times before a gap appears in the opposition defence. England is slowly learning to be patient but that aspect of our game will be given a stiffer test when we come up against a more disciplined defence.
Any side can score points when the forwards produce fast multiple phase possession.
The real test will come when we are presented with slow ball. In that game our option taking on slow ball was poor and I am sure it will be tested against France. The presence of some new faces actually helped the atmosphere in the squad, their enthusiasm gave everyone a lift and both Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen both fully justified their selection. Full marks must also go to the coaches who got the approach spot on. The sessions before the match were very intensive but thankfully, after the league programme we d endured, short.