B ased on England’s performance last week, there was part of me that thought about writing a piece that would light another fire under the squad. As predicted a week ago , England were galvanised by events leading up to the game against Australia and I cannot remember the last time when I came away from Twickenham so impressed by both the result and the performance .
Pretty much every box was ticked. It was a complete showing. Discipline was on point, the set piece went well and England scored all manner of tries. The question is, how does a much-changed team take a step up, continue to build momentum through the Nations Championship and drive things forward? It can be a challenge against a side like Japan – we only have to look back at England versus Japan in 2018 , it was like a cemetery for some players’ international careers.
Steve Borthwick has picked a team that will excite supporters. He’s got Henry Pollock on the pitch from the start and in Max Ojomoh and Will Joseph he has players in great domestic form. Ojomoh was man of the match in his last appearance against Argentina but has had to wait the best part of a year for another crack. That just goes to show that opportunity is never guaranteed.
Borthwick also has a spine of experience which will be key. George Ford brings that in abundance, as does Freddie Steward and having Henry Slade alongside him will be ideal for Ojomoh. Then you have Jack van Poortvliet, who I felt was the man of the match against Australia, running things from scrum-half.
The challenge of international rugby has always been to find a weakness in the opposition and take advantage of that, to hammer it home. I anticipate that England will seek to do that against Japan in the aerial battle, in the scrum and the maul but I would also love to see them have the confidence to take Japan on at their own game. Japan will look to play at pace, to break the game up but a quick look at England’s team sheet and they are more than capable of doing that themselves. I’d love to see Borthwick send his side out with an instruction to move the ball to space. I don’t mind seeing mistakes being made but I would be a lot less sympathetic if they are being made with a conservative mindset.
On paper, this is a side that can do that. It’s a side that supporters want to get behind but it is of paramount importance that they do not take that support for granted. We only need to look at how lifeless Wembley was on Thursday night . Harry Kane became England’s most capped player in history, he has only just won the Ballon d’Or but the crowd was so disengaged, perhaps too expectant given there was a 7-0 win over Croatia so recently. That should serve as a warning to Borthwick’s side. You can never take support for granted, it’s incumbent on the players to engage the fans, who will have high expectations after what they witnessed last week.
As a result, Eddie Jones will be doing everything in his power to create that disconnect. Australia may pose a sterner test in theory but the Wallabies basically gave England a free ride in the first half last week. They were so passive. There is nothing passive about Eddie Jones and as far-fetched as a Japan win is on Saturday, he will make sure his players do everything they can to unsettle England in the opening exchanges.
The important thing for England is to stay on message. No one benefits from 15 different individuals on Saturday, it’s all about the team. There may be a World Cup squad to audition for but when you have someone like Borthwick as head coach, the messaging will be crystal clear – the team comes first and the way that you force your way into his thinking for next year’s tournament is to play well within the team’s structures.
Ten changes, as well as two positional moves, is a lot to make and in some cases, Borthwick’s hand was forced due to injuries. You can make the argument that England would benefit from some of the combinations who will face the All Blacks getting another run out, but on balance, I don’t think that’s something to worry about. It makes perfect sense to give Fin Smith, Fin Baxter and Tommy Freeman a rest and let them continue honing preparations for New Zealand.
Up until this point it has felt like just another autumn campaign for England because the permutations for finals weekend are so varied. But after this weekend things will become a lot clearer and England can start to think about what they could end up achieving in a couple of weeks’ time. A win on Saturday and a victory against the All Blacks – having beaten them for the first time at Twickenham since 2012 last year – and who knows what Borthwick’s side could achieve by the end of the month.
