There has been no stopping Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe, as he has cruised his way to five tries in the first three rounds of the 2024 Six Nations matches. Former England fly half Toby Flood likened van der Merwe to the late, great All Black Jonah Lomu, who set the standard for powerhouse wings that dominated their opponents.
Flood labelled the Edinburgh wing as ‘world class’, in his comparison to arguably the greatest wing of all time. The former Newcastle Falcon also recognised how his ‘telepathic’ relationship with Finn Russell has been reaping the rewards for Scotland, in what is setting the titanic flyer apart from the rest of the world’s wingers. Speaking with Lucky Block, Flood said;
“Van der Merwe is brilliant. He is developing into a world class wing. He is huge, quick, incredibly powerful and a real physical specimen. He has that feel for the game too. He understands the game and knows where to be at the right time. It shows how he has matured and how his relationship with Finn is almost telepathic. That sets him apart now.
“Just like the late Jonah Lomu, he is big, powerful, fast, and almost balletic. The worst people to defend I found were those that were big and could run over you but could also run around you and sidestep you. As a defender you would never be quite sure what to do; plant your feet and brace for the impact or they dance around you. If you keep moving they can run over the top of you. He is very destructive.
“I was watching the game at the stadium with Stuart Hogg who was getting quite agitated that his try scoring record for Scotland was coming under threat from Duhan.”
Pivoting his attention to this weekend’s action, Flood believes that Ireland have been rightly labelled as favourites ahead of their fourth round clash with England. Andy Farrell’s men sit on the cusp of history, as they look to become the first side ever to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the modern Six Nations competition. Flood believes that the Irish system’s centralised contracts are a significant aid to the side’s overall success.
“Ireland are fantastic. They are the best team anywhere. The benefits of central contracting are there for all to see. They have a blueprint spread across the four provinces and players coming into the international system are fully aware of the rhythm of the way they play the game. Everyone knows their role, everyone knows their job. They are a Rolls Royce of a team.
“It shows what managing the players workload, having control of them can do, having them fresh for international rugby, can do. They have a system into which any player can slot in. All these are things we in England don’t really think about. They just look like a powerhouse of a machine able to steamroller everyone.”
Looking at his former side, and Flood recognises how England need to return to winning ways after the Scotland defeat. The odds are stacked against Steve Borthwick’s men for the next two rounds of the tournament, as they take on Ireland, before ending their campaign with a trip over to France. Flood believes that this weekend’s match could well define England’s season, and labelled the new-look side of up and coming talents as a ‘work in progress’ in the new Rugby World Cup cycle.
“The pressure on England to perform is getting larger by the day. You can look at his World Cup record. But we all know there were mitigating circumstances with the draw.
“England need to start winning these big games. There seems to be a disconnect between the players and how they perform on a Premiership weekend and how they play at international level.”
“Steve Borthwick can’t keep saying England are evolving. He has had 20 games now. They haven’t had a bad last 10 matches but fundamentally, it is going to be tough to play Ireland and go to France and pick up a result.
“The game in Twickenham is as big as it gets. It will define England’s season. If they can take a scalp fantastic but no-one expects that. If they did manage to, there would be a huge amount of self-belief in the squad.
“England’s attack is not a smooth-running machine, but then I don’t think anything is. You can pull it all apart. The great England teams of the past were always dominant in the scrum, maul and set piece but they don’t at the moment. They are not feared as they used to be. It is all a bit clunky; a work in progress but there are green shoots coming up.”
Focusing his scope on one of England’s most exciting young talents, and Toby Flood believes that Exeter Chiefs wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso deserves to start against Ireland. The young speedster has been rumoured to be lining up for his first England start, after impressing onlookers in his extended run out against Scotland. Flood thinks the 21-year-old could well surpass Elliot Daly to the starting jersey, in what will be his first time leading from the kick off for England.
“There are a few guys who could come under scrutiny. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso looked exceptional when he came on and he might well come in ahead of Daly. What is the worst thing that can happen?
“England need to roll the dice in the set up. Why not start with Tommy Freeman and Feyi-Waboso on the wings. I know that would take out a huge amount of experience. But Feyi-Waboso is someone who you really want to expose at the highest level. You have a bit of a rough diamond there who could change the game.
“You need that against Ireland because if you go toe to toe with them and try to out muscle them and outplay them you are going to lose. But if you try and break the game open there is a chance you can expose them.
“When England were chasing the game against Scotland and they needed to play, they still went back to box kicking from inside the Scottish half. There was that resistance to play. I do worry that will be part of Steve’s decision making against Ireland. At some stage you have to throw caution to the wind and go and find out who else is out there and what they could do.
“There is a chance to change it up a little bit and see what happens. Ultimately England cannot win the Six Nations now. Why not go out and see if they can play and put them in a situation in which they will test their mettle?”
Pivoting to look at the back-row, and despite running out impressive performances in a relatively newfound position, Flood does not see Ben Earl as England’s long term man at Number eight. Flood expressed how he has been impressed by the Saracen, yet believes that Earl’s size is not to that of a ‘traditional number eight’. Flood then discussed how Gloucester back-row Zach Mercer should not be entirely ruled out for the future, despite his ongoing England exclusion.
“When Earl carries, he does well and beats the first defender. He doesn’t have that attritional bulk you are looking for in a traditional number 8. He has speed, power and dynamism but doesn’t have the weight to go with it. But who do you bring in? Dombrandt has played but not well enough to keep hold of that shirt. You can’t keep going back to Billy Vunipola.
“The balance has been questioned for a long time now. Underhill was very good. He hit everything that moved. England are still trying to find their feet after all this time.
“He (Zach Mercer) came back from France no doubt expecting to figure for England. Steve’s problem is there is no stand-out player. Mercer has looked good for Gloucester but what Ben Earl did at the World Cup gives him credit. England do not have a highly attritional number 8. They have lots of similar type players. There is no clear answer. It is unlikely Borthwick, with his conservative nature, won’t change anything much.
“It’s right that people are questioning England’s balance. Because with all their capabilities and resources the number of players they have they should be better. But they’re dysfunctional.”
Rounding off, Flood cast his vote on his former position of fly half. There has once again been plenty of goings-on around the 10 jersey throughout the fallow week and into the Irish test run-up. Northampton Saints halfback Fin Smith has picked up and injury, at the same time as Harlequin linchpin Marcus Smith returns to the squad from the side-lines. The debate now boils down to whether Marcus supersedes George Ford to the starting jersey, or takes a seat amongst the replacement for an impact against the Irish.
“George did not have a great game in Scotland, but it is difficult for a fly half when your team is turning over the ball that many times.” Flood added. “You can’t control the rhythm and the tempo of the game because it is so stop-start and you are gifting the opposition possession.
“Marcus is someone who would come back but I think George has done enough in the World Cup and since to keep his place. But Marcus is likely to be ring rusty, a bit like (Ollie) Lawrence. And when it comes to Ireland could you throw him at the deep end? I am not so sure.
“To have Marcus back around the squad is something that will excite the squad because he does bring something completely unique in terms of what England can offer.”