Sweeney says England drop to eighth or ninth when a man short

England are the second-best side in the world when all 15 players are on the pitch. Take one away and they slip to eighth or ninth, according to RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, who says the problem is discipline. BBC Sport

England open their November campaign against Australia on Sunday, and the cards are the talking point before a ball is kicked. A yellow card sends a player to the sin bin for ten minutes, leaving his team one man short until he returns. A red card removes him for the rest of the match.

Sweeney said England's discipline has been a big internal discussion, and that head coach Steve Borthwick is working hard with the players to improve it. The numbers explain why. Across their five Six Nations matches, England were shown eight yellow cards and one red card. They spent 118 minutes of those games with fewer than 15 men on the field.

The cost was plain in the summer. In July, South Africa beat England 45-21, and England finished the match with 13 men after yellow cards for Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper. Against Argentina, England conceded four second-half sin-binnings. Argentina came close to completing a fightback, and only some careful defending stopped them.

Why does a single player matter so much? In union, the fight for the ball after a tackle, known as the ruck, is decided by bodies on the floor. Fewer players means fewer people to win the contest, slow the opposition, and hold a defensive line together. A side that is short also tends to tire faster, because the players left on the pitch have to cover more ground.

It does point to a simple truth, though. Teams with 15 players can take risks that a team with 14 cannot. Keeping that full strength for 80 minutes, rather than 60 or 70, is the job England now face.

For the casual fan, the message is easy to follow. England's talent has rarely been the issue. The question is whether they can stay on the pitch against Australia, and whether a side that spends time one man short can beat the best teams in the world.