Freeman can take charge of defence
JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
TOMMY Freeman is one of those players who, when he gets the ball and sees an opportunity, he goes for it. He likes the challenge of trying to use his athleticism, size and skills to beat an opponent, and it’s why I would like to see him at outside centre for England during this Autumn Series.
Freeman looks like an established international already, and has played enough at outside centre for Northampton for him to make the transition from wing at Test level. He’s hungry, and his physical presence at almost 6ft 3ins and over 16st (103kg) gives England a different dimension – although I’d let him settle and use his whole skill set, rather than just use him as a battering ram.
The balance of Freeman combining with Ollie Lawrence inside him at 12, and then linking outside with wings like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck is pretty exciting. We know that Feyi-Waboso punches way beyond his weight, and is so difficult for defenders to get a handle on, while Roebuck (6ft 2ins, 15st/96kg) is a similar player with similar impact to Freeman.
I’d give Roebuck a run, because he’s keen and is scoring tries for Sale, and if those two went well against New Zealand you might discover a combination you don’t want to change – it would be a bit of a dream ticket if it worked.
At full-back there is no need to change anything given George Furbank‘s contribution in flicking England’s switch in attack this year.
So, having said last week that I would go with Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith as my 9-10 combination against New Zealand, my backline from 11 to 15 is Roebuck, Lawrence, Freeman, Feyi-Waboso and Furbank.
The only other scenario that might delay Freeman moving to 13 is if Henry Slade makes a late return to the England midfield by recovering from a shoulder injury in the next three weeks to squeeze in a couple of Premiership games for Exeter.
Slade was left out of the squad for the 2023 World Cup, but he became a very important part of the blitz defence introduced by Felix Jones in the Six Nations last season, and which gave New Zealand a headache in the summer tour. After sorting out a few teething problems Slade took to it like a duck to water, and we saw some good tackles and smart defending from him at 13 as England applied the pressure.
Lawrence has been in a good run of form, and he pretty much cemented himself in that inside-centre slot alongside Slade last season. Lawrence can really make an impression on a game – but he just needs to do it more often.
He should be aiming to have the same impact at 12 for England as Ma’a Nonu did for New Zealand a few years back. He wants to be saying to the players around him, “give me that short, punchy ball every time”.
Lawrence has to define what sort of player he wants to be. With Nonu, or Manu Tuilagi, you always knew what you’d get, but with the Bath centre it’s less clear. Is he a big carrier, a great handler, is defence, attack, or kicking his greatest strength?
Maybe he’s got a bit of everything, but while he is on the cusp of being up there at 12 alongside Damian de Allende, Jordie Barrett, and Bundee Aki, he’s not quite reached it yet. Maybe it’s as simple as Lawrence defining himself by deciding that no one’s going to stop me, and no one’s going past me, or through me.
“In a blitz defence, you all have to be in it together – that’s why it’s high risk, high reward”
England don’t currently have the depth at centre that Ireland do, because in recent years if one of either Aki, Robbie Henshaw, or Stuart McCloskey are injured there is always another option to hand. By contrast, I’m not sure that Fraser Dingwall has done enough yet to merit being an England starter at either 12 or 13 – and there’s no one else smashing down the door.
Even so, I’m pleased to see Alex Lozowski back in the England squad. I’ve always rated him and didn’t agree with Eddie Jones leaving him out for years because of a missed tackle against Japan.
Lozowski was good for Saracens, made a success of going to Montpellier, and now he’s back at Saracens he’s still playing well. He’s very versatile, can play 12, 13, 10 or 15, and is very solid and tidy all-round.
Elliot Daly is another Saracens inclusion who provides useful cover as a backline utility and long-range goal-kicker. Daly’s still fit at 32, and because he can play wing, full-back, and outside-centre, he falls into the category of being there when there’s an injury to be covered.
Ollie Sleightholme is a good addition on the wing, and offers a cross between Feyi-Waboso and Freeman. He could come into the equation because he’s powerful and quick, and knows where the line is – and how to get there.
If Freeman moves to outside-centre he will take on more responsibility as the defensive leader, unless it is totally alien to him. That would be slightly embarrassing because if you are an international player you should be able to lead a blitz defence.
To be fair to Freeman, defending on the wing and at outside-centre is different. Wingers face numerous distractions, whether it’s keeping an eye on the opposing wing, outside centre, or full-back. You have to make the right decisions every time – for instance, you cannot come up too close, or too tight, or they will chip over the top of you.
It’s why it’s hard to think of many wingers with an 80 per cent tackle success rate, and if that was mirrored by an outside centre then they would not be likely to play at Test level.
The blitz is rugby union’s version of the high-press defence in football, and with Joe El-Abd coming in as defence coach to take over what Felix Jones started, Steve Borthwick‘s England coaching team are committed to it.
The big adjustment for Freeman moving to 13 is that he has to read where the first or second opposition pass is going to, and to hit them man-and-ball – and to do that timing is so crucial.
You hear tactical talk about teams “trying to get around the edge”, and stopping that in defence applies whether you’re an outside-centre or a winger. In a blitz you are going up quick, and putting a ton of pressure on the attack in the first two phases – but you all have to be in it together. That’s why it is high risk, high reward.
