It’s funny how things have come full circle for Elliot Daly. The first time he played a Test against Argentina he lasted barely five minutes before being shown a red card for a misjudged tackle on a still airborne opponent. And now, nine years on, to whom have England turned to help discomfort the Pumas aerially? None other than wing commander Daly.
Much has changed, however, since that distant sending off at Twickenham in November 2016 on what was only his third start for England. Daly is now a vastly experienced international with 73 caps and the game also looks significantly different courtesy of the crackdown on “escorts” protecting the catcher, which has put an even greater emphasis on high-ball expertise.
As a player who flits regularly between wing, full-back and centre, few have a better first-hand grasp of the implications of the revised law permitting chasers “free access” than the 33-year-old Saracen. “It’s changed the game,” says Daly, who will wear a protective foam guard in his first competitive match since fracturing his left arm against Queensland Reds on the British & Irish Lions tour.
“When you were able to escort there was a 75% chance of getting the ball as a catcher, but now it’s probably 50-50. It does allow for more unstructured turnovers from which to attack, so I can see from that point of view how it’s more exciting to watch. But we know as players what we’re giving the other team if we don’t quite get it right. We know how important it is … hopefully we can come out on top.”
With rain forecast this weekend, England’s George Ford will certainly be looking to the air against the Pumas and the tactic has borne plenty of fruit already this autumn. “We were pretty good under the old laws, but now you know you’re not going to get blocked you can go for the ball and try to either tap it back or catch it,” says Daly. “We’ve seen that with Tom Roebuck in recent weeks: he’s tapped a couple back and we’ve scored tries so we understand how it can be a massive weapon for us.”
Players are now also mostly better versed in the art of only competing for balls they have a realistic chance of reaching, rather than taking out defenders illegally and risking seeing red. The margins can be slim, though, and Daly says all players are acutely aware of the need to stay legal.
“You know where the line is. It’s about being as squeaky clean as possible now, especially clear-outs and tackles and all that kind of stuff. That’s the way we train, too. We train to make sure … we keep 15 men on the field.”
Daly, who ended up watching the first Lions Test in a local pub having been in contention to make the matchday squad before his injury, also speaks positively on the subject of England’s conditioning, now masterminded by the longtime Saracens expert Phil Morrow and Dan Tobin.
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Steve Borthwick is increasingly delighted with the whole squad’s improved fitness – “The team is in considerably better condition than where it was” – and Daly says senior players like himself are benefiting from the sophisticated modern care they receive.
“There’s a lot spoken about age but the amount we get tracked on GPS data: you know when you’re behind. I feel brilliant at the moment and I would love to be here come the next World Cup and beyond that.”
South Africa’s Lood de Jager, meanwhile, has lost his appeal against the red card he received against France this month. The Springbok lock was sent off in the 38th minute in Paris for a dangerous tackle on Thomas Ramos and banned for the remainder of the Autumn Nations Series.
