Why Mo Hunt was omitted
Simon Middleton’s explanation of Mo Hunt’s exclusion from the Red Roses World Cup squad is fascinating.
It’s hard to recall another occasion where he has revealed so explicitly the reasons for omitting a player from an England squad.
The management’s game-plan looks for their No 9s to whip the ball away asap from the breakdown to the backs, then do it again and again. Hunt does not fit that bill; hers is an off-the-cuff approach. Of the four candidates she is the most likely to take a quick tap penalty, to spot a gap in the opposition’s defences, to kick a demanding angle. The risk is that she will be caught unsupported, yards ahead of her team-mates.
This line of thought may well come as a surprise to many observers and fans of the Red Roses.
The decision, and especially the explanation, make life an iota easier for opposing defences. They must still guard against breaks by Leanne Infante and Claudia MacDonald who both have more pace than Hunt; they can break and kick for territory. Whether Lucy Packer can follow suit is another matter. Her passes against Wales at Bristol were accurate and fast. But we saw little or nothing of the rest of her armoury. At least she was carrying out her orders to the letter. The midfield was a battle-area for the Welsh that they had to surrender.
Add to that Middleton’s distaste for the box-kick. He far prefers the diagonal, preferably to within sniffing distance of the corner-flag. That requires kicks from further back, and England are blessed with several players who can serve them up.
One irony of his stated preference for Nos 10 and 12 to steer the team’s progress is that by her own high standards Zoe Harrison (outside-half) had a distinctly under-par game against Wales. In stark contrast Helena Rowland next to her had an absolute stormer. Quite apart from her hat-trick of tries, she was frequently used for (penalty)-kicks to touch, and her defensive work won’t have gone unnoticed.
In the games they have won comfortably – the majority – the backs have been able to work openings on their own. In the tight games – we have to cite recent French games exclusively – their opponents’ line-speed has proved so tight that the team has had to rely on forward pressure to produce tries. That may not be sufficient next month.
One inevitable downside of Hunt’s absence is a weakening of defences around the breakdown. We can’t expect Packer’s 55kg to stop marauding forwards in their tracks a few metres from the line. That was proved dramatically by Gwen Crabb’s try for Wales near the start of the game. Whether any of the other three rivals for that position would have been more successful, cannot be proven, but seems probable.
You win some, you lose some. Sadly for Mo Hunt, this is one battle she has lost.
PS Who knows? The staff may have Plans B, C and D all lined up to outfox the opposition. Life can be exciting.
