It comes as no surprise to hear England’s coaches have been glowing about the impact Nathan Hughes has off the field as well as on it. He might not necessarily come across as a larger than life character but from what I hear, around the camp he is a lively guy, he gets things going and he will bring the energy and intensity to another level.
The coaches have talked about how he is with the young players, too – he was Marcus Smith’s room-mate at one of the training camps – and taking on a role that shows he is comfortable in the environment. I’ve played against him a lot. He is very respectful but he wants to play on the edge and have a good time. I’m sure he’ll bring some life to the group and that can be infectious, especially when winning is a habit.
Hughes has not played a lot of rugby over the past couple of months but we’ve seen England’s support staff back themselves to get players fit regardless. If Eddie Jones does decide to put him straight into the starting lineup at No 8 against Scotland on Saturday, my guess is he will play for 60 minutes.
If that is the case, they would tell him to empty the tank in the first half, get his 10 minutes’ rest, stock up on his fluids and whatever he needs and then give another 20 minutes before the cavalry come off the bench. They will have a really good plan in place for Nathan and while I’d be amazed if he lasts 80 minutes due to his limited playing time, I’m sure they will use him wisely.
The half-backs will be licking their lips thinking about the front-foot ball that someone like Hughes provides. He is a guy who will get through 15-20 carries and hit gain-line after gain-line. And defensively he’s a big hit man who can disrupt the set piece and put in those big shots to make sure the opposition is behind the gain-line. The pack dynamic will not change in terms of everyone’s roles but Nathan’s biggest point of difference is his ball-carrying.
That is not to say Sam Simmonds is a poor ball-carrier but he thrives in wider positions and is more of a specialist openside type. He can take on defenders and feels comfortable doing that in wider areas. Hughes gets you those 15-20 carries a game – I’m sure Eddie and Steve Borthwick will tell him they need that from him and that means he acts as the default go-to carrier.
I know England publicly say they do not look to the past or to history but I’m pretty sure among themselves they will be talking about the demons Scotland will have from last year. If England score an early try or Owen Farrell kicks a few early penalties all of a sudden those concerns start coming back, so I expect England will be looking to get a really fast start, as they have done in both their matches so far.
Scotland, on the other hand, will stand by their attacking rugby and what they have tried to promote in the Six Nations and the autumn internationals. The fact Finn Russell keeps his place at fly-half shows they intend to keep the ball in hand and challenge England’s defence. It’s the way Gregor Townsend works and they have the players to do it but they cannot turn up like they did against Wales – they have to be more accurate and respectful of the ball. The crowd, the occasion, the emotion of the game will all count as well – they have to be right on the edge but they cannot go over it.
Scotland do not want to get into an arm wrestle because they will find England too powerful. They will have to outthink England, they have to be innovative and in addition they need that accuracy.
If Scotland turn up and play with all the ambition in the world but don’t look after the ball, England have the players to pick them off. But England have shown they can be scored against – especially outside No 13 in the three-quarter channels – and likewise Scotland have leaked tries in the first two rounds. Both sides will be approaching the match with the mindset they can score tries and that sets it up perfectly.
