This weekend ‘a conclusive victory’ against Fiji is the goal for England Rugby. As I’ve mentioned previously the fact that Eddie Jones has used such definitive language to describe what he wants from the side isn't disrespectful to their opponents instead it is part of him setting out his expectations for England.
The 25-man squad that was announced to prepare for the match on Tuesday indicates that certain changes in personnel will be made. Now let's be clear, these aren’t changes for changes sake or caps being thrown out willy-nilly instead it’s about providing individuals with opportunities as Neal Hatley elaborated on:
“We keep talking to the squad about Test rugby being about taking opportunities and it’s no different for the players,” said England’s scrum coach.
“If they get an opportunity then they grab it with both hands, some guys have got opportunities through injuries and others will get theirs through selection. So, we are putting it at the doors of the players and they have got to go and grab these opportunities now.”
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Of those players potentially gaining an opportunity it's fair to say that Alex Goode has had to wait longer than most. Since the start of Eddie Jones' reign the Saracens full-back has been a topic of so many debates in press rooms, pubs and living rooms across the country. Interestingly England's head coach was actually one of the individuals that helped to instigate his move from fly-half to full-back. As the now 28-year-old reflects the Australian was hard on him during his early days at Saracens pushing the back to perform and even then as a young man he had to wait for his chance:
"It was a good life lesson going forward. At the time I probably didn’t realise why he was making me work so hard or making me do so many extras. But actually, the lesson to me was once I got that opportunity I never let it go and I managed to stick in place at full-back, as it was then – I hadn’t played there before – all the way around the year and then the next season stayed in. It was a good lesson in that sense of just knowing that when you get knocked, it is about how you react. You have to work harder and when the chance comes try to grasp it."
In terms of the here and now if Alex does don the 15 jersey at the weekend then we should expect to see his full box of tricks because he has been given license to thrive:
“Eddie has been clear on that if the opportunity arises you go. It’s the same, anytime you play at club or country, it’s about decision making in the back field as much as possible and my job is to organise the guys around me and then to seek those opportunities in attack and come alive and add that extra body from deep. So that doesn’t change I’m just very aware of the threat that they [Fiji] pose because the individuals that we play against in France and England all the time are very dangerous.”
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Another individual that has had to bide his time is Semesa Rokoduguni. The Bath man is the Premiership's standout winger of the opening rounds and the provider of so much spark in a Bath attacking line that's blossoming again. He's currently first for tries, defenders beaten, clean breaks, metres and average gain per carry in the Premiership season's statistics. It's no wonder that he has been described by his Bath team-mate George Ford as the 'most dangerous player and the best finisher that I’ve ever played with'. A man that knows Rokoduguni well from a coaching point of view, Neil Hatley, equally endorses the winger's output and the way that he dealt with his disappointment last year after being selected for England and then put out of the picture:
"It was [a tough time] for Roko. But I think what I really liked about what he did, obviously being a Bath coach at the time, is that he came straight back to the club and played on the weekend. I think that he got a try, if my memory serves me right, and kicked on from there.
"He’s been fantastic over the last 18 months and he’s had a really good start to this season. He’s probably been Bath’s out and out strike weapon from an attacking point of view. He's very good under the high ball - you saw the try against Leicester when he got the ball against JP Pietersen. He’s gone back and done exactly what we wanted him to do."
Fiji will be very different opponents to South Africa and although we will see some new personnel in England jerseys I expect to watch an enhanced output from England's squad. Some individuals are integral to the system but others know that there are options in their position and this weekend it's a case of opportunity knocks for the likes of Semesa Rokoduguni, Alex Goode and others.
Eddie Jones announces his starting XV and bench on Thursday 17th November at 10am ahead of Saturday afternoon's Test match. England v Fiji starts at 2.30pm live on Sky Sports 2.
