Melbourne Storm coach Jason Ryles oversaw a rearguard refresher course in the run-up to the autumn internationals which was intended to make England watertight for the Wallabies.
The England defence will be stressed at times – there is no doubt about that – but it was comfortably the most impressive part of England’s game against Argentina last weekend. It took the Pumas 78 minutes to breach the white wall.
If they can keep Australia out for that long they will win – and have NRL knowhow to thank for that victory.
“I wouldn’t say league are better tacklers – it’s a completely different beast we’re dealing with – but league has less to worry about so it can concentrate more on the tackle,” said Ryles, a former Kangaroos forward.
“There are so many areas in union they need to look at with lineout, scrum and breakdown – it’s meat and potatoes – so it was good for them just to focus on the tackle.
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“It was really little things – our footwork into contact, our height levels, our first contact that we concentrated on.
“At the end of the day you’ve got to get in front, make contact and put your head in some awful spots. It’s just a matter of doing that in the most effective way.”
The impact zone he was coaching for Eddie Jones’s side was a lot lower than with the Storm. The sessions were mainly group-based but he also did specific work with individuals like George Ford.
“I’d compare what he has to do in defence with someone like Cooper Cronk – it’s the same sort of position on the field,” said Ryles.
“There are similarities there so things that we worked on with Cooper I was able to show George to see if it was applicable to him. He picked out what was important to him and then we would go and work on it.”
It was Ryles’s second visit to the squad having carried out a similar root and branch audit on England a year ago. Between times, England’s defence coach Paul Gustard spent a week with the Storm.
“From when I came over last year they’ve all come on,” said Ryles. “In the 12 months since I was last with them you can just see the growth in a lot of them. George has certainly grown as a leader in the group and Owen (Farrell) obviously. It’s good to see.
“It’s a really good environment to be around. It would be hard not to improve.
“Everyone knows how hard Eddie works and how hard he drives the players and the coaches. He’s very knowledgeable and it’s great for me in developing my own coaching in being exposed to someone who has been around for so long.”
Ryles is back in pre-season now in Australia where the Rugby League World Cup is unfolding. He gives England a shot – as long as Sam Burgess is fit – but rates the Kangaroos as inevitable favourites.
The balance of power between the rival nations has swung the other way of late in union with four successive wins for England in the Cook Cup fixture since Jones took charge.
“There’s a heightened level of interest in the England team in Australia as a result of Eddie. There’s an awareness of how many games they have won and a real healthy respect for this English team,” said Ryles.
So who will be backing when England and Australia meet this weekend? The squad joked with Ryles that he was a spy in the camp when he was with them but he has shock news for them.
“I’m more English than they think. My mum’s dad was born in London,” he said. “I’m f***ing going for England.”