Rugby World Cup 2019: What have we learned from England’s warm-up matches so far?

There have been plenty of positives and negatives to take out of England’s double-header against Wales as Eddie Jones’s side hit the halfway stage on their road to Japan

England have reached the halfway mark on their road to Japan, having won one and lost one of their two Rugby World Cup warm-ups against Wales in very different circumstances.

The opening 33-19 victory over the Welsh came in a try-fest that saw both sides blow off the cobwebs - one side more quickly than the other - before the following weekend’s more predictable 13-6 defeat that felt more like a natural test between these two physical sides.

Eddie Jones is one of few head coaches who has already named his final squad for the plane to Japan, announcing his 31 lucky players the day after the Twickenham victory, with only France, Fiji and Argentina following suit.

Has the Australian gone too early? Or has there been enough in the two performances so far for England fans to be optimistic that there will be no repeat of the 2011 and 2015 nightmares when the tournament gets underway next month?

Here’s what we’ve learned from England’s two Rugby World Cup warm-ups so far.

Discipline remains an issue

England conceded eight penalties at Twickenham that will be a few too many for Eddie Jones’ liking, but more concerning will be that as the pressure ramped up in Cardiff, so did that tally to 12. That essentially cost the England a shot at victory, and the talk among the players immediately after was that their ill-discipline had let them down - and not for the first time.

The problem is that this issue only rears its head when England are up against it - and therefore when it matters most - so while it may seem that the problem has been fixed early in Japan it will not be truly tested until the pool games against Argentina and France, and beyond.

Watson provides a reminder of his talent

The overwhelming positive from the two games against Wales has been how Anthony Watson has not just come through unscathed but how good he has looked with such little game time under his belt. Watson missed 13 months of rugby with a serious Achilles injury as well as setbacks along the way, getting just three appearances under his belt at the end of last season.

But the way he has handled his international return has been a huge relief to those who love watching the attacking aspects of the game. Watson took an eye-catching aerial catch in the first match back, but it wasn’t until he surged away from the Welsh defence in Cardiff after Jamie George’s show-and-go that we really saw that raw speed that made him such a threat on the international stage.

Watson looks to be firing on all cylinders after making his return for England (AFP/Getty)

Ludlam has lots of learning to do but he’ll go far

The young Northampton Saints flanker felt the heat in Cardiff as Wales kept him out of the frame at the breakdown, but we should not be over-critical of his performances too soon. The 23-year-old remains an international baby with only two caps to his name, the majority of which have come out of position at openside.

What we should judge is the way that he has adapted to the higher level of game, and it would be very fair to say that Ludlam has not looked out of place in the slightest - at Twickenham or the Principality Stadium. Sure, there have been lessons along the way and he was exposed at not being a natural ball threat last Saturday, but he possesses impressive power and the eye for a smart support line that will hold him in good stead if and when he returns to the No 6 shirt.

Reserves will make ample replacements

What has been reassuring for the England squad is how the strength in depth looks to be where it needs to be to mount a realistic World Cup challenge. Both Wales and Ireland showed what can and will happen if the depth within a squad is not there when inevitable injuries take their toll as the crunch games come about.

In particular, Dan Cole and George Ford has shown that should injury strike in the key positions, they will be able to step up and take on that responsibility. There are other areas where that applies too - the return of Joe Marler at loosehead not only provides considerable experience in the front-row nut takes the pressure off Ellis Genge - while there are a wealth of options in the six back-three players that Jones has named.

Jones has taken risks at tighthead prop and scrum-half among others, but this does appear to be a considerably stronger squad than that of four years ago.

Jones has risked a huge amount with gamble on youth

If it does all go wrong in Japan, it will be hard to look anywhere other than at the head coach. Jones has discussed how he came about the decision last year that the squad was in need of freshening up, which resulted in the likes of James Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, Ben Te’o, Mike Brown and captain Dylan Hartley being jettisoned for injury reasons or otherwise.

Eddie Jones has gambled with his squad selection (Getty)

But the players that have been brought in are yet to be blooded on the international stage, particularly Ludlow, Willi Heinz, Jack Singleton and Ruaridh McConnochie who at this rate could go to Japan without a cap to his name if he doesn’t recover in time to feature against Italy. England cannot afford to carry players who wilt under pressure in Japan, and Jones has gambled plenty on choosing to go against experience.