Following the conclusion of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, we update you on the state of the participating nations. Next up, it’s Steve Borthwick’s England.
Autumn Nations Series Summary
Played four, lost three won one, is the stark reality of England’s campaign during the Autumn Nations Series.
Losses against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, followed by a rather nonplussing 58-14 win against Eddie Jones’ Japan are not the results of a Tier One nation with the vast resources of England, but it wasn’t only the results that hurt. A lack of shape, a decline in attacking efficiency and a complete failure of any form of defensive system meant that England learned very little about their shape on the pitch, and given the lack of experimentation in selection, even less about the depth of their squad.
A coat of paint was the difference versus New Zealand, and perhaps had Lady Luck been less playful with the England faithful, a famous victory was within their grasp. Against Australia, a thrilling attack down the tramlines with the clock well into the red conspired to rob Borthwick’s men of an equitable campaign as the Wallabies finally got their mojo back.
A nine-point loss against the world champions South Africa might, on paper, seem eminently creditable, but once again England had every chance to close that game out and failed.
That defeat against the mighty Boks could be forgiven, but for the fact it was the sixth consecutive loss against Tier One opposition, and in every instance England had led at the 60-minute mark.
If England were cricketers, they’d be batters getting out in the 20s and 30s, doing the graft but lacking the killer instinct to grab a score or to see teams off and power past them. But the most frustrating trait of this team is its propensity to repeat mistakes and its refusal to learn from experience.
Despite the consistent evidence of how those games were lost – defensive howlers in midfield with forwards marking up against outside backs, failures of structure, crucial kicks fluffed, poor impact from bench players and the continual selection of personnel who have proven nothing other than their mediocrity at test level, there was no appetite from the coaches to change things up. Even when faced with an opportunity to explore fresh faces arose against Japan, we saw the same old same old, and once more, those players fell apart in the last quarter of the match.
It is said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action and expect a different outcome; England have reached peak rugby insanity, steadfastly selecting the same players in the same positions in the same system- and it’s no surprise that the outcomes haven’t changed.
Standout Players
To identify standouts from a season so mediocre is a labour worthy of Hercules himself. But the good news was that tighthead Will Stuart showed immense development, both in the loose and in the scrummage, pushing himself right to the top of the list of Borthwick’s choices at three. Stuart has always offered mobility and defensive solidity, but now fully fit and benefiting from working with Thomas du Toit at Bath his scrummaging wasn’t quite a revelation but it most definitely could be described as ‘reliable’, a huge step forward for the Bath man.
“He’s not an eight” is one of the more regular tropes seen on social media where Ben Earl is concerned. But in the Autumn Nations Series, he topped ruck interventions, carries, metres made by a forward and tackles. There’s little doubt he is indeed an eight, and a darn good one, offering a real point of difference from the base, where he carries with huge velocity.
The one new thing that England did discover is that Ollie Sleightholme loves a try, and the Saints flyer did everything he could to move his case forward, grabbing four tries, two versus Australia and one apiece against South Africa and Japan.
Marcus Smith had some moments of brilliance and for many he’s nailed the ten shirt down for some time to come. But does he offer the structure that England crave as a rugby nation? Or is it all a little frenetic and uncontrolled, working as a brilliant individual rather than a team facilitator?
A shout-out must go to the carries and clatters of Chandler Cunningham-South as he showed enormous promise, but needs to improve his breakdown presence and 80-minute consistency.
But the theme of losses continued, the red zone inefficiency was evident and if there was one key takeout around players it was the consistent drop off in intensity in the last quarter, whether it be by replacements or starters, alluding to fitness and concentration issues that need to be solved sooner rather than later.
Success Story
England have a number of issues, but their starting pack isn’t really one of them. Both locks, George Martin and Maro Itoje, stood toe-to-toe with the best, whilst at no point did the England starting back-row let anyone down. The England lineout, an absolute specialism of Head Coach Borthwick, was the best of the tournament, averaging a 91% success rate across the four games- an impressive return, especially considering England were using a maximum of three primary jumpers often against four, and in some cases five, options in their opponents.
The starting scrum generally did the job, save for a few wobbles. And the return of Luke Cowan-Dickie saw England get great value from the number two shirt, yielding four tries against Japan as both Cowan-Dickie and George grabbed a brace apiece.
But whatever platform the starting XV created and however stable the pack left the setpiece, the drop off in quality and intensity when the bench was unloaded was obvious, and any mention of English successes can only be done so with a caveat.
Main Regret
Put simply, England know nothing more about their player depth than they did at 3.00pm on 2nd November, when they faced the All Blacks.
Despite players like Henry Pollock, Luke Northmore, Tom Willis and Fraser Dingwall flirting around selection, whether it be in the squad or with the A-Team, their claims weren’t rewarded, and, to add insult to injury, they sat and watched as players selected ahead of them continued to make the same blunders and sink back into habits of mediocrity.
The patient England fans, crushed by feint hope on so many occasions, deserved to see something new, a talking point of difference or a player of potential.
But it wasn’t to be and Borthwick must take a lot of blame for his loyalty to personnel that let both him and the fans down on a consistent and rather predictable basis.
It was a season where the results were as predictable as the selections themselves, with a consistent theme of last quarter failure blighting progress, and the biggest regret has to be that the squad and team have, at best, stagnated, and at worst, gone backwards in terms of their results, performances and reputation.
Results
England v New Zealand (New Zealand won 22-24)
England v Australia (Australia won 37-42)
England v South Africa (South Africa won 20-29)
England v Japan (England won 59-14)
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/state-of-the-nation-england-reach-peak-rugby-insanity-and-steve-borthwick-must-take-the-blame-for-his-loyalty
