* Joined ESPN in 2011
* Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
* Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
It was a weekend where the southern hemisphere left their mark and bloodied the noses of their European counterparts.
The All Blacks kicked off the action with a 23-13 win over Ireland in an underwhelming Test in Dublin, and Australia followed suit on Saturday, defeating England at the death in a captivating, free-flowing match at Twickenham. On Sunday, Wales fell at home to Fiji 24-19 -- their 10th straight defeat -- and South Africa then muscled their way past Scotland, winning 32-15.
Elsewhere, Argentina hammered Italy 50-18, while the sole northern hemisphere triumph saw France see off a youthful Japan 52-12 in Paris.
There's plenty of food for thought, but are those reactions irrational or legitimate? It's time to judge.
Ireland's 19-match home unbeaten run came to an end on Friday night as the All Blacks scored a convincing victory in Dublin, thanks to Damian McKenzie kicking 18 points and a second-half try from Will Jordan. In reply, Ireland only crossed the tryline once with Josh van der Flier in an error-strewn performance that saw them commit 13 penalties.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
Ireland coach Andy Farrell gave such ideas short shrift post-match. He was asked if he was worried by Ireland's run of form, which has seen them lose three of their last five matches. "No," was his concise response. "You don't become a bad side in one game, do you?" He added: "Good teams bounce back don't they? So we'll see what we're about. We've tended to do that in the past. It's amazing isn't it because we're the ones that have brought the expectation. After one game, it's amazing really, isn't it that we're talking about s--t like that?"
Well, there's little room for ambiguity there. "Talking s--t" apart, still there is a growing feeling that Ireland need to give more opportunities to the next batch of hopefuls. Their bench on Friday saw them bring on 37-year-old Cian Healy, 35-year-old Conor Murray and 35-year-old Peter O'Mahony as they sought to chase the match. All fine warriors, but perhaps better suited to starting a match, rather than finishing, but behind Andrew Porter, Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Beirne in the pecking order.
They have won the U20 Six Nations Grand Slam twice in the last four years, but we are seeing scant signs of that talent being promoted through to the first team. Ireland's set piece and handling were both poor on Friday so perhaps it's time to see Craig Casey, Cormak Izuchukwu, Ryan Baird and Jamie Osborne feature over the next three weekends.
However, they certainly don't need a mass overhaul. There is no need to panic whatsoever, and they are still the best side in this part of the world. But you do feel their bench needs bolstering ahead of Argentina on Friday, and they need to sort out why they were so rusty against New Zealand.
England appear to be muddled and stuck between philosophies. After yet another heartbreaking defeat at the weekend -- England's fifth in six matches -- there was the inevitable sense of déjà vu around Twickenham. For the fourth match running, England lost the game in the final quarter. This time it was a remarkable exercise in plucking defeat from glorious victory, losing in the 83rd minute, having coughed up a restart, then been unable to halt Australia as they careered down England's right wing to score the winner.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
It's performance anxiety causing this. The players themselves insist they are on the right path, but the defence looks muddled. The summer resignation of defence guru Felix Jones was a body blow for England, and his replacement Joe El-Abd is still bedding in. It leaves England's defence is caught between two ethos: triggering the blitz on occasion, but also being passive on others. It allowed Australia to have the freedom of Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick said England were "gutted" after the defeat on Saturday and spoke about the "weight of the shirt," something which irked ex-England captain Will Carling.
"When the head coach talks about the 'weight of the shirt' as an excuse -- that really annoys me. It is an honour, privilege. Key is about deciding as a group what values you live by, play by. It is an opportunity not a burden," Carling said.
Ben Earl summed up the squad's frustrations better: "It feels like we won the game twice and then managed to lose it. The same overwhelming feeling of another game that we've let slip. We're testing fans' patience, testing our patience, testing [the media's] patience. It doesn't feel like it's a lack of effort, it really doesn't. It just feels like every game is just throwing a different scenario, situation, feeling that we might not have experienced before as a team." With the Boks coming on Saturday, England must win. They're already on their worst run of results since 2018 and cannot afford another bump in the road.
Whether it is psychological or systemic, England must find a way to cure these final-quarter ills. It could have been a different narrative -- had the balance of the matches swung in England's favour, had George Ford's penalty not hit the post against the All Blacks, had Maro Itoje not knocked on the restart in the 79th minute against the Wallabies, then we would be talking about two impressive England victories. Instead, it is a brutal story of near misses
There's no need for an overhaul, but England must find a way to prevent these errors which are killing them.
Wales are in their nadir. Their 24-19 defeat to Fiji on Sunday means they have suffered 10 losses on the spin, their worst return since 2002-03 under Steve Hansen. And to top it all off, Warren Gatland admitted post-match that a mix-up in communication meant they brought on the wrong player for Mason Grady when he went down injured in the 17th minute. They'd practised all week with Ellis Bevan as their reserve winger, but instead Sam Costelow appeared from the bench and played out on the flank.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
All is not well, but changing Warren Gatland is not the answer. They would be far worse off without him. You can see they have a genesis of a good team, and he has had the unenviable task of moving this Wales side from one generation to the next, all against the backdrop of poor leadership at the WRU, not being able to pick some overseas talent and a malfunctioning regional system. He is doing all this with one hand behind his back.
Dan Biggar, the ex-Wales fly-half, said post-match that Wales are at a "crossroads" and said "serious questions need to be asked." He's right, but they need to be asked of the likes of executive director Nigel Walker and chief executive Abi Tierney.
However, Gatland must stay. He is the man to steer them through this rough patch, and needs far more help from above.
Incredibly, Saturday's game in Twickenham was Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's rugby union debut, and he was at the centre of the Wallabies' victory. The rugby league cross-code star cost the Australian Rugby Union in the region of £2.6 million to bring him over from league and on Saturday, five years after his last game of the 15-player code, he was there at outside centre facing England. By the end, he was awarded man of the match after a commanding performance with and without the ball.
Verdict: OVERREACTION (but only just)
Playing a starring role at Twickenham isn't bad way to reintroduce yourself to a sport. This is a hugely important eight months for Australian rugby, given they have the British & Irish Lions in town next July. There were fears it would be a Lions whitewash given Joe Schmidt's side were ranked No. 9 in the world and won just one of six Rugby Championship matches. But the Wallabies' win and Suaalii's introduction has brought a fresh dimension to next summer's tour. Suaalii was outstanding at outside centre.
His 6ft 5in frame meant he was lethal in the air -- constantly disrupting the restarts -- while his deft offloads created havoc. He teed up Tom Wright's score after 26 minutes with a beautiful no-look basketball-type pass and looked right at home. "Joseph obviously got a few kick-offs back for us. He's a bit of an aerial freak, but at the same time, it was a good learning experience for Joseph as well," Schmidt said. "I know there were some doubts expressed about him being selected and the risk. I think people would now see the opportunity of involving a young man like that, particularly the way he prepared in the week. I thought he was really professional."
To put a "saviour" tag on his young shoulder seems a little hysterical, but is on the right track.
Australia rugby needs star power and Suaalii delivers it. He has already been talked about as having the potential to be one of the great cross-code stories, and his incredible ability and highlight reels will only help the sport.
Scotland and Fiji were both hit by this new penalty on Sunday. Scotland's Scott Cummings was awarded one after he landed on Franco Mostert's lower leg when clearing out a ruck. The bunker review said it was an act of "high danger" but Scotland boss Gregor Townsend was less than convinced: "I thought it was a very harsh red."
Earlier, Fijian wizard Semi Radradra was given one after his shoulder made direct contact with the head of Wales fullback Cameron Winnett.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
The introduction of these 20-minute red cards has been controversial. Essentially, if a player commits a technical offence which meets the red card threshold, then a referee can hand out one of these 20-minute reds -- the guilty player is off the field for 20 minutes, their team down to 14 players, and once the 20 minutes are up, they are replaced by someone on the bench. Deliberate, dangerous foul play would still result in a permanent expulsion.
The reaction hasn't all been positive. La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara called them "nonsense" and said the introduction could see rugby re-enter "dangerous territory."
However, there is overall agreement these new cards are a positive. "I think it's a great thing for the game," Fiji coach Mick Byrne said. "I know there's a lot of angst up in the north. We've been playing under that law now for a number of years down in the southern hemisphere." Gatland said: "I'm in favour of it [red card trial] if it's not deemed to be reckless or deliberate."
One senior coach told ESPN: "It's a hard one. I agree with it if we want to keep the game exciting as normally a red card would mean a result for the team that doesn't get one."
This trial deserves more time before it is written off. Rugby is having an uphill task growing the fanbase, and the temporary punishment helps the spectacle.
The Springboks were error-strewn in their 32-15 win at Murrayfield on Sunday which saw Makazole Mapimpi score a brace of tries. They were disappointed with their four-try win, despite rotating their squad with 11 changes from their Rugby Championship-clinching win over Argentina. They also deployed the infamous 7-1 split on the bench, as they got their northern hemisphere tour off to a winning note.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
In short, yes. There was not a feeling of jubilation in the Boks camp afterwards, but those are the standards they set. Erasmus said post-match he was "nervous" with their win and was "not very proud" of the performance.
The Boks have been working on their breakdown efficiency and discipline, with Kwagga Smith saying it was "scrappy" in their win over Scotland and adding they were at times "asleep." "There are some aspects of the game we are not happy with and will work on," Etzebeth said. "The coaches will point that out and there'll be some harsh words, but also good words. Sometimes you need that in a professional team environment."
Despite the All Blacks' win over an out of sorts Ireland team, South Africa remain ahead of the pack as international rugby's primary force.