article_snippet: but nine is the absolute maximum number of penalties a Test side should be conceding, preferably less.
article_snippet: If you need two tries in the last 15 minutes the priority is to get your creative players on and also leave the ‘gas’ players like Jonathan Joseph on.
article_snippet: My preference is for a footballing 12, but if that is not the way England are going they need to ask they full back to step in as an extra 10 more often.
article_snippet: The England scrum was disappointing.
article_snippet: I was convinced The England scrum would dominate the set-piece
article_snippet: and you have to give praise to The England scrum and especially the veteran Mike Ross who was being written off by some a while back.
article_snippet: I’m hoping that’s a one-off because The England scrum has been outstanding prior to this.
article_snippet: With a little more than six months to the World Cup, England have a stack of work to do.
article_snippet: There will be no Grand Slam this year and possibly no Championship so, for me, the final two Six Nations games are all about the World Cup now and England need to make those games against Scotland and France count.