London Irish move off bottom of table as wings give England hope

London Irish 39 Newcastle Falcons 17

England’s wings are among Eddie Jones’s most unsettled positions. With Jonny May’s return after barely an appearance for Gloucester, Tommy Freeman’s half-time removal in the loss to South Africa after barely a touch, and Joe Cokanasiga’s complete banishment after barely catching the eye against Argentina and Japan, the wide men are the coach’s problem children.

When one factors in that Jack Nowell was elected as a vice-captain ahead of the autumn series but is not assured of a starting spot – having to make do with looking sprightly off the bench in the Springboks defeat – and that Adam Radwan has been toing and froing from Newcastle to Pennyhill Park so frequently that the Falcons’ wing should apply for seasonal employment as a conductor with London North Eastern Railway, the two most suitable players to flank full-back Freddie Steward in England’s back three remain a mystery.

Jones was not at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday but if the Australian keeps his job then catching up on the footage from London Irish’s bonus-point win over Newcastle would be crucial, if only for the back-three audition that played out as the hosts, bulwarked by the supreme No 8 Josh Basham, finally buried their five-match Premiership losing streak.

The devilish abilities of Radwan are so well known that it is almost hackneyed to retread them; his opposing number, Ollie Hassell-Collins, is on England’s radar; and on the opposite London Irish wing was Ben Loader, who is yet to fulfil his vast promise after featuring in an England training squad for the Barbarians match in 2019.

None of the trio is the finished article  yet  but their performances added buckets of fuel to the firepit that is Jones justifying his selections, and that continual seesaw between picking a player for what they can do rather than what they cannot.

What these three can do is wreak havoc with the ball. Radwan was virtually Newcastle’s only threat, and his fade and mis-pass off Matias Moroni’s pull-back for the Falcons’ opening score, with fellow wing Mateo Carreras finishing in the corner, was the only moment in the match that touched anything near world class.

“He’s as sharp as ever,” said Dave Walder, Newcastle’s head coach. “An [area of] development for him has been how he can recognise when people are ganging up on him, but the timing of that pass [for Carreras’s try] was outstanding.”

In a victorious cause, Hassell-Collins and Loader showed their respective hands with panache, too. Moroni is one of the world’s finest defensive centres but Loader came within millimetres of leaving him for dead in the first half. Loader would be on hand later, too, for a perceptive catch-and-pass which led to Lucio Cinti’s vital try for Irish.

Hassell-Collins had the most engaging of tête-à-têtes with Radwan throughout. After his hand in Carreras’s try, Radwan broke down Hassell-Collins’s tramline but the Newcastle wing foolishly allowed himself to be bundled into touch.

After that wake-up call, with the game still in the balance, Hassell-Collins woke up.

The London Irish wing showed his Nowell-esque, flanker potential, too, as he won a jackal turnover with Newcastle’s momentum building. The Falcons’ would-be clearer at Hassell-Collins’s triumphant ruck? None other than Radwan, of course. The Newcastle wing is a diminutive magician, with the agility of a ninja and the pace of a cheetah, but without the ball he is often found wanting.

That narrative developed starkly, as Hassell-Collins cannoned a kick within centimetres of the touchline in Newcastle’s 22. The covering Falcons defender misjudged, assuming the ball would land straight out, but it did not, and the visitors conceded a 50:22, from which Adam Coleman scored; that defender, full of anguish, was Radwan.

“The 50-22 was brilliant, wasn’t it,” said Declan Kidney, London Irish director of rugby. “Scoring tries is part of the job, but it’s the bits that allow others to do their job – and that’s what I think [Hassell-Collins] is getting better at.”

Earlier, Hassell-Collins had opted for route one, a normally uncomfortable orientation for a wing. That he sucked in two defenders, offloaded out of the tackle to Paddy Jackson – who scored under the posts as Irish regained the lead – is a mark of the wing’s unique abilities. Not many English back-three players possess such a vigorous blend of strength, skill and vision.

“If he [keeps doing it regularly], who’s to know what doors will open for him,” added Kidney.

Over to you, Eddie – if you get the chance.

Match details

Scoring sequence: 5-0 Stokes try, 7-0 Jackson con, 7-5 Carreras try, 7-7 Conno con, 10-7 Jackson pen, 13-7 Jackson pen, 13-10 Connon pen, 13-15 Pepper try, 13-17 Connon con, 18-17 Jackson try, 20-17 Jackson con, 25-17 Cinti try, 30-17 Coleman try, 32-17 Jackson con, 37-17 Cinti try, 39-17 Jackson con.

London Irish: J Stokes (L Cinti 55); B Loader, W Joseph, L Morisi, O Hassell-Collins; P Jackson, B White (J Powell 70); F Gigena (D Fischetti 39), A Creevy (M Willemse 49), L Chawatama (O Hoskins 59), A Ratuniyarawa (A Coleman 55), C Munga (J Caulfield 74), M Rogerson (c), J M Gonzalez (C Cunningham-South 67), J Basham.
Newcastle Falcons: E Obatoyinbo; A Radwan, B Stevenson, M Moroni, M Carreras (T Penny 70); B Connon (T Schoeman 72), M Young (c) (S Stuart 59); A Brocklebank, G McGuigan (J Blamire 62), R Palframan (M Tampin 55), G Peterson, S de Chaves, C Chick, G Pepper (T Marshall 78), C Fearns (M Dalton 27).
Unused replacements: C Cade.
Yellow card: Penny 72.
Referee: W Barnes.
Attendance: 6,858.