England going in the right direction
JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
If we measure England from the time Steve Borthwick took over as head coach to where we are now there has been an improvement in performance.
The most marked aspect is in the way they are playing, especially when you consider where they were when Eddie Jones left Twickenham almost two years ago.
The limbo then, with players coming and going, was reminiscent of the England low points in the 1980s and the mid-late 2000s – and I hated the way that England were playing, and wasn’t all that interested in watching them.
Following that, the 2023 World Cup was a holding operation, and getting to the semi-finals was a job well done considering how badly the team played in the World Cup warm-ups.
The progress since then has not all been smooth, especially the early games in this year’s Six Nations, but the win over Ireland and narrow loss to France was a watershed in England’s approach – and it continued in New Zealand.
The overall level of England’s performance in the two Tests against the All Blacks was for me a 7.5 or 8/10. They were competitive, and good to watch, and I enjoyed a lot of what I saw, and was not overly annoyed that they didn’t take all their chances. These tours provide an opportunity to learn, and to grow, and this England squad should bank the experience and be better for it despite the disappointment of losing both Tests by small margins.
PICTURE: Getty Images
If England had played New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup there would only have been one winner, with the All Blacks probably 20 points or more better, especially in good conditions. Almost a year later England have played well and been competitive against New Zealand in an away summer series, and now they know that if they improve further they have a good chance of beating the All Blacks at Twickenham in the first of the autumn Tests. It is now about Borthwick’s team evolving and growing, and getting on with it rather than thinking that it might be better if the NZ match was at the end of the autumn series.
Before the Tests in Dunedin and Auckland I was interested in the head-to-head between Ben Earl and Ardie Savea, because both No.8s have been outstanding. Earl was certainly not as influential as he was in the World Cup or the Six Nations – and while he was by no means average, he just did not have the same outstanding impact.
The dip can probably be explained by the length and demands of Earl’s season, whereas Savea looked well rested and in good shape after a season in Japan, and a nine-month rest from Test rugby.
I was also very interested in seeing what strides winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and inside-centre Ollie Lawrence would make during the tour. Feyi-Waboso had a very good series, and from now on he will be watched with much greater care by opponents. He’s a threat every time he gets the ball because he is such a powerful, punchy runner – and the bounce and spring he has in his step gives him an impact which is hard for defenders to contain.
Feyi-Waboso’s effectiveness was similar to his New Zealand opposite number Mark Telea, who is also hard to pin down with his wiry strength and sharp changes of direction. They are wingers with the ability to be a presence in the international game for a long time.
I don’t know if Lawrence got as many touches in midfield as Jordie Barrett did for New Zealand, but I would love to see the Bath inside-centre get more of the ball when he is on England duty. Lawrence needs the ball in his hands between 10 and 15 times a game if he is to realise his potential of being England’s answer to Ma’a Nonu.
Jamie Roberts made a career of taking a short pop-pass off fly-halves like Stephen Jones and Dan Biggar, and even when defences knew the big Welsh 12 was coming he would still have the angles and momentum to make big carries.
Lawrence can do the same for England. By taking a short line and using that strong leg-drive and low momentum he can either set up tries or score them himself, as he did for Bath against Toulouse last season – and we need to see more of that when he’s in an England shirt.
Henry Slade is highly regarded, and last week’s piece on England’s blitz defence explained why his role at outside-centre is crucial to its success. However, even though he has played consistently well, I’m not sure that Slade’s position is cemented yet, because Tommy Freeman is another possibility at outside-centre if England can find another wing.
This is because a future 10-12-13 combination of Marcus Smith, Lawrence, and Freeman, who has developed into a lethal attacker, looks pretty exciting. Add to that George Furbank playing the rugby of his life at full-back, and you have a potent backline.
With England grafting on the Northampton emphasis of playing without fear in attack, Borthwick, Richard Wigglesworth and the England coaching team have departed from the later Jones era where players were too afraid to make mistakes. So much in attack still depends on making the right decisions about when and where to kick – and England are still learning. For example, the Marcus Smith cross-kick from which Freeman scored in the second Test was the best decision at that time, with the precision of the kick and the power and timing in Freeman’s jump-and-catch close to perfection. This contrasts sharply with the wrong decisions taken during the series to give away possession through chip-kicks or grubbers, rather than play phases and build pressure until the New Zealand defence cracked.
However, Marcus Smith took his opportunity – including taking on defenders – and he held his own in a good fly-half contest with Damian McKenzie, with neither superior or inferior.
Although George Ford will probably come back into the picture at 10, the future is the Smiths, and there is more to come from both Marcus and Fin. It’s the player who continues to play with freedom who will win through – and, whoever that is, England can be excited by what the future holds.
The same is true for Ireland, who deserve their ranking of first or second in the world after showing how good they are to win the second Test of their tour against South Africa in Durban, and draw the series.
The Irish system is now similar to New Zealand’s, where players play the same style through from mini rugby, to schools, to U20s. This is reflected in Ireland’s very successful pod-style system which provides a clear game structure, but then gives room for multiple options which are familiar.
The strength of South Africa’s defence meant it was difficult for the Irish to score a late try to win, but they had clearly rehearsed another option, which came in the shape of Ciaran Frawley’s two spectacular drop-goals.
