U20s World Championship: Will Parkin on England’s ‘Battlezone Attack’ ahead of must-win clash against Australia
Will Parkin, the coach of the England U20 backs, is clear about the work at hand. England has five points, which puts them in second place in their group going into the World Rugby U20 Championship pool rounds.
After a convincing first-round victory over Scotland and a close loss to South Africa, attention will now turn to Wednesday’s crucial match against Australia in Verona.
Depending on other outcomes, they could advance as the top second-place team in all three pools with a bonus point victory.
Parkin, who has worked with earlier age groups in the route before joining the U20s setup for this tournament, has clearly focused the team’s aggressive game.
Battlezone Attack
His impact is clearly evident, especially in the way England plays in the middle of the pitch, which he calls the “Battlezone Attack.”
“I’m new to this tournament as a coaching group, having not participated in the Six Nations,” Parkin clarified.
“The ‘Battlezone Attack,’ which is between the 22s, is where we have spent a lot of time. In an effort to try and move the ball more, we have included a harder FBA, or “four backs attached,” from the perspective of the backs.
“Making sure that at every stage we can, there are four backs able to link,” he remarked, summarising the essence of FBA. the ball, whether that is through forwards or straight to the backs.”
That approach has produced promising signs. England currently lead the tournament for entries into the opposition’s 22 and for line breaks.
“(In the) Second half of Scotland and a number of periods in the South Africa game we weren’t good enough in the 22, converting the scores and that’s what we’ve gone after this week,” Parkin said.
“Hopefully we’ll start to see a better conversion rate.”
Converting Chances
That inability to finish chances against South Africa could prove costly in a tightly contested pool stage.
England created 16 entries into the 22, a strong number, but they left too many opportunities behind.
Parkin admitted that there were times when they could have taken the points but insisted that it is key to player development that they make those decisions themselves.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “There were times when we, as coaches, could have run the kicking tee on and gone for three points.
“And yes, we want to win the World Cup, but it’s also about these boys developing and learning. So, if they think that going for the corner is the right thing to do, we have to back them.”
He went on to speak about his desire for the backs to be proactive and take risks, particularly when it comes to getting on the ball.
“Get your hands on the ball and go and make the most of it,” Parkin said.
“They could easily stand on the wing and get through 80 minutes and be safe. I’d much rather them go and work off their wing. Even if they get 20 touches of the ball and make ten errors, go and do something with it the other ten times.”
Team News
Wednesday’s game will also see some changes to the starting lineup. Wingers Tyler Offiah and Noah Caluori have both been brought into the side, with Parkin excited to see what they can offer.
Given the short turnaround time and the obligations that come with this level, we have made a few adjustments and always will. It will be thrilling to watch Tyler and Noah take to the wings,” he remarked.
In space, both pose a serious risk. In my seven or eight years of dealing with this age group, their high-ball work is among the best I’ve seen.
Offiah, who turned 19 last week, has only made one appearance at this level so far. He is the son of great rugby league player Martin.
Parkin anticipates that both wingers will have more chances to demonstrate their skills as a result of England’s better ball circulation.Wingers in space
“Hopefully, with the way the lads have been moving the ball, we can build on that and feed Noah and Tyler with some ball in space,” he said.
“They will be able to show you what they have shown us over the course of the last three years.”
Parkin believes that the players, many of whom will return to the Premiership and compete in high-stakes games in their future careers, will gain significant experience from the match despite the pressure to earn five points against Australia.
“This week, we’ve had that—a shorter turnaround and some pressure to score five points, but we just need to concentrate on ourselves,” Parker stated.
“These guys are capable of scoring plus four tries and earning five points if they go out and play against anyone.”
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