Jeremy Guscott’s verdict: Play Manu Tuilagi in centre with Luther Burrell

The experiment of playing Manu Tuilagi on the right wing didn’t work yesterday and if England want to end this tour on a high in the Hamilton third Test on Saturday he must be returned to his rightful position at outside-centre.
He has been New Zealand‘s nemesis in recent meetings and he needs the ball in hands far more often.
Last week he was a constant menace, yesterday he was largely anonymous until the final quarter. When he did get the ball in his hands he showed the ability to suck in defenders and the slight of hand to offload out of a two-man tackle to set up Chris Ashton‘s late try.
He keeps Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith more occupied in defence, thus creating space for others.  I understand what head coach Stuart Lancaster sees in Billy Twelvetrees, and his partnership with Luther Burrell impressed during the Six Nations. But as yet, Twelvetrees is not  a dominant force in international rugby, despite quite a few chances in the shirt, and is too inconsistent.
I’d like to see Luther Burrell given a run at No.12 next week with Tuilagi outside him.  The New Zealand centres would not relish that match-up;  both Burrell and Tuilagi can make breaks, offload and create space for others around them.  If Burrell doesn’t get the nod then I’d go with the Bath livewire Kyle Eastmond instead.
Eastmond’s pace and eye for a gap kept the All Blacks’ midfield guessing last week and his partnership with Tuilagi worked well, especially as it was the first time they had been paired together. But one thing is for certain, Manu isn’t a winger. Ashton took his chance well and I think he deserves to come in on the right wing.
Despite feeling deflated at the final whistle, England showed courage and resilience to fight back in the final quarter when a lot of other sides would have capitulated with wave after black wave of attackers coming at them. But they weathered that storm and came again, showing skill and tenacity to go through the phases.
However, it is worrying that the same mistakes keep happening and England keep losing the tight games. They aren’t far away, but, for me, it is due to a drop in defensive intensity coupled with a lack of clinical finishing at crucial times.
When the All Blacks began to turn the screw in the second half through the Nonu and Smith tries, England had to up the defensive line speed and put them under pressure. They didn’t do this and it gave the dangerous Kiwi three-quarters time and space.
Courtney Lawes has earned the ‘enforcer’ reputation for his tackling in the Premiership and he must start next week and reproduce more of it on the international stage. But he needs help and I would love to see others starting to put their weight around, namely the No.8s, Ben Morgan and Billy Vunipola.
Both are huge, strong men but neither really makes his presence felt in the tackle. Similarly Burrell. These guys need to let their opposite number know they are around rather than standing off and letting them play. Huge, well-timed hits force pressure and create mistakes, while also giving your team a massive boost.
Until either Morgan or Vunipola ups the intensity of their defence they will always be neck and neck for me and behind the world’s best. They need to make their mark and truly put a stamp on each and every game they play. I’d like to see these guys make a similar impact in defence as Tuilagi does on offence.  Next week England must start taking advantage of their attacking opportunities. The Tuilagi breakaway chance should have been coverted and I’m sure both he and Mike Brown would do things differently next time.
The decision making needs to improve at the breakdown situation – Brown had a choice whether to secure the ball after Ben Smith had brought Tuilagi down or clear the defender out. He chose the wrong option by going for the ball and it allowed Smith to get hands on the ball and force a penalty.
The small margins are what count at this level. New Zealand showed how clinical they can be and capitalised on any England mistake. They didn’t create that many clear try-scoring opportunities themselves, but not many went begging and that’s the difference.
Two tries at the death show this England side are incredibly close to being really good – no other Northern Hemisphere side has got this near the All Blacks in consecutive Tests. However, to close the gap England must learn to deal with the All Blacks’ second half onslaught. Trailing 10-6, New Zealand were always going to come out like their lives depended on it and when they upped their intensity in attack, England dropped theirs in defence.
The defensive line lost its structure and looked disorganised for the Smith try which came after Twelvetrees’ offload had gone astray.
New Zealand quickly recycled the ball and spotted four English forwards in the defensive line. Aaron Cruden exploited the weakness before a fine finish swung momentum back the Kiwis’ way.
With England on the attack they were not set up for the counter and what was a promising attacking move ended up costing seven points. England must cut out these slips in concentration.
While the England players and staff will be rightfully disappointed after another close defeat, they must know they aren’t far away from beating the world champions in their own back yard. The All Blacks would have wanted two more tries themselves in the final 10 minutes and instead they conceded two.
To win next week England must match the intensity levels of the All Blacks when they ramp it up. New Zealand look at their best when the game is played at lightning speed whereas England look to be scrambling. To take the next step, as the 2003 World Cup-winners did, England must thrive off the high-tempo spells and look to go up another gear themselves.