Rugby World Cup: Tim Horan provides the Wallabies with keys to beating England

TWO-TIME Rugby World Cup winner and Wallabies legend, Tim Horan, previews the Wallabies’ blockbuster clash against England at Twickenham.

Wallabies training in Herston, QLD. Stephen Moore and Nathan Grey

TWO-TIME Rugby World Cup winner and Wallabies legend, Tim Horan, previews the Wallabies’ blockbuster clash against England at Twickenham.

COMPOSURE

This is the biggest Test match, by far, between Australia and England since the 2003 World Cup.

If the Wallabies lose this, they are at risk of getting knocked out of the World Cup. For rugby in Australia that would be a terrible result. With the NRL and AFL grand finals on this weekend, this is an opportunity for Australian rugby to go to another level. They don’t want that level to lower.

You have to respect England but you have to go out there and not be shy. Don’t let the scale of the moment tempt you to go into your shell.

I sense Australia will not, based on their experience.

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Australia can capitalise on moving England's less-mobile forward pack round the park.

Australia has the edge on England as far as Test experience goes, and collective World Cup caps as well. Those big game players know what it is like to play huge games like this. You can’t get overawed by the moment. You have to make the right calls every time, whether it be an option in attack or trusting the guy next to you in defence.

BREAKDOWN

The breakdown is going to be key. Chris Robshaw is a very, very good back rower but he is not a no. 7, he is a no.6. The quickness to the ball for England could be decisive and determine what sort of style Michael Cheika puts in place for this Wallaby team.

You have to get across the advantage line but will also try to attack with width as well, and force the England forward pack to move around. That means attacking in the no. 13 channel and sometimes a little bit wider.

They’ll try to isolate some of the slower England forwards defending in the midfield. Their front rowers tend to defend, after the second and third phase, in the middle. Pocock and Hooper will beat Robshaw to the breakdown every time, you’d imagine.

DEFENCE

Defence wins big Test matches, and Nathan Grey, the defence coach, knows that. England are one of the best defensive teams in the competition, I believe. Seeing how they double-teamed big Welsh carriers and muscled up for 60-70 minutes of the game, they were very strong. It will be hard to break down their defensive pattern, but Wales showed it can be done.

Likewise for Australia, defence will be crucial. They have to move up fast and take the space off England. Fly-half Owen Farrell, when he gets comfortable, plays in the pocket a bit and plays a bit deeper. They have to move up quickly and make the tackles in front of the England advantage line. For the Wallabies, defence will win this Test match.

PHYSICALITY

England are one the most physical packs, and teams, in this competition. But what Michael Cheika has brought to this Wallabies team is physicality. We weren’t playing right on the edge in the last couple of years and Cheika teams — from the Waratahs to the Wallabies — it’s been very noticeable how physical those teams have been. Not just in the forward pack, but right across the whole team.

That will be another big factor at Twickenham. You don’t win too many Tests without winning the physical battle first.

The crucial part will be whether the Wallabies can maintain possession for 7-plus phases over a period of time and tire the England side defensively.

But if you turn the ball over, you won’t get the ball back for another five minutes.

Bernard Foley’s kicking game needs to be firing.

KICKING

We saw brilliant how Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar were last week, and I’ve always mentioned in this World Cup you have to be kicking at 85-90% to be effective.

Bernard Foley needs to be right on his game. It’s a massive stage.

Foley has worked really hard on his kicking this year and I am sure he will be up for it. While you probably won’t win just on your goal kicking, you can put the opposition under so much pressure by taking every single point on offer.

General field kicking will be really important. England are a side against whom you have to kick a little bit more, because they are so strong defensively. You have to seek space in behind them. I’d be kicking long over Jonny May’s wing because he is someone who will always try to counter-attack.

We saw Biggar using the high ball wisely from the Welsh backfield last weekend and it is important Israel Folau makes good decisions about when to run, and when to use the boot.

Field position is so important to escape pressure, to exert pressure and to take the crowd out of the game. Australia can’t let England be carried by that Twickenham crowd.

Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Tim Horan provides the Wallabies with keys to beating England