Skip to main content

Ben Kay column - Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood analysis

/li> 0 shares 1

comments

Chris Robshaw versus Tom Wood. It’s one of the individual clashes to watch in Saturday’s crunch Aviva Premiership confrontation between leaders Harlequins and fourth-placed Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens.

It’s a clash of slightly differing styles and the pair will be continuing in their England positions after they teamed up successfully in the win over the All Blacks at Twickenham.

Certainly, Conor O’Shea at Harlequins has gone along with the suggestions of England head coach Stuart Lancaster to play Robshaw at openside while Wood is fitting in again for Northampton on the blindside rather than in his main position of No 7.

Head-to-head: England flankers Robshaw (left) and Wood (right)

No one would have said the two could have played together in an international side before the autumn series, but that win over New Zealand, featuring Ben Morgan at No 8 alongside Robshaw at openside and Wood on the blindside, has given Lancaster a very confident back row.

It’s a little bit like the England football team wondering if two great players, perhaps like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, could play together in a national team after many thought it was not possible.

Both were prominent in their England positions last weekend in the Heineken Cup when Quins flattened Zebre and Northampton hung on for a famous win over Ulster in Belfast.

Their success against the All Blacks has certainly made many sit up and take notice especially Warren Gatland, the head coach of the Lions. He is well served by flankers, led by Wales’ Sam Warburton, but the aggressive display of Robshaw and Wood, in never allowing the All Blacks to settle, prompted Gatland to talk about how much he had been impressed by the ‘violence’ of the England forwards at the breakdown.

High hopes: Wood provides England with a decent lineout option

The emergence of Robshaw and Wood is certainly bad news for Leicester’s Tom Croft. He is just about to return from a nasty neck injury to find he must play exceptionally well to regain his England place. It is a selection headache that Lancaster must be looking forward to.

Croft was the in-form flanker last April and revelling in England’s impressive back-to-back wins in the Six Nations against France and Ireland, yet he returns to find his place at No 6 taken by Wood and the No 7 shirt occupied by Robshaw.

If Croft quickly regains his form he may well find himself on the substitutes’ bench as his greater pace will be a major attacking weapon for England in later stages of Six Nations games.

Everyone gets very worried when a lead player is injured. Remember how Wood successfully took over from Lewis Moody at the start of the 2011 Six Nations? It is the durability of Robshaw which has been the big factor in him taking his chance over the past 12 months. This time last year it was Wood who was being tipped to be captain rather than the Harlequin.

Sidelined: Croft has a tough job on his hands trying to get back into the XV

That scenario changed in January when Wood injured his foot and he did not play regularly again until this autumn.

Robshaw has enjoyed a great 12 months in which he has become a talisman for Quins and England. For consistency, he reminds me a little of what Martin Johnson brought to his teams though he has a long way to go yet to match such a figure.

The biggest difference between Robshaw and Wood comes at the breakdown where the England captain is often involved in trying to make the hard yards. If there is nothing on then Robshaw will be the player taking the pass to make something out of nothing particularly at close quarters. Wood, in contrast, will be more selective and will look to make his pace count wide out in the midfield channels which are not so busy.

The pair are also a little bit different at the breakdown where Robshaw, using his more squat build, throws himself into any situation whereas Wood will be more slippery.

Both are key men in the Northampton and Quins line ups. Robshaw will be the player leading the charge and engineering the gaps around the fringes. And once the defensive line has been breached Quins throw every available player at the opportunity.

In contrast, Northampton will use their big men to keep driving ‘around the corner’ to set up attacking positions before trying to use the pace of Wood in midfield. It is a clash both will be relishing. They may be colleagues in the England team, but Saturday will all be about getting one over a rival.

  More... Launchpad for Launchbury as Wasps and England lock savours year to remember Flood not fazed by threat to England place with No 10 ready to return for Leicester






Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o