The time for change is over. What England need most is stability...
Strengthening of the set-piece and fly-half’s invention were the main pluses of England win
England will return from the summer tour in a positive frame of mind, having recorded a 25-10 win over the Springboks in the final Test in Cape Town. It was crucial that they avoided being whitewashed, not just for their own psyche, but to give head coach Eddie Jones a temporary hiatus from the barrage of negative media he and his team have attracted recently.
A game so influenced by the sodden weather is not one from which to draw hard conclusions, not least because it contained so little rugby, but certain things can be defined. Look at the final penalty and turnover totals for both teams and you will see they were in England’s favour for the first time in many games. Those facts, as much, if not more, than anything done individually explain the reversal of England’s recent poor fortunes, and that must be borne in mind before every game and selection meeting in future.
What sort of perspective can you give this win? For the Boks, the series was already won and they took the chance to alter their team markedly. That said, we are talking about South Africa and an England side who were desperately short of confidence and who themselves made a number of changes.
The return of Danny Cipriani for his first Test start since 2008 dominated the headlines, but it was the selection of his opposite number that framed the result, especially when the heavens had opened and a firm track was impossible. Whatever the relative merits of Cipriani and Elton Jantjies, the latter is not known for his wet-weather game management. Watching Jantjies spill ball, kick poorly and slide around was welcome to English fans, and his replacement by Handre Pollard came too late to rescue South Africa.
Cipriani was reduced to a bit part by the decision of Ben Youngs to kick from the base continually. Given the conditions and the failure of South Africa to deal with the high ball, you cannot criticise Youngs’s choice, but assessing what Cipriani added is made more difficult. He defended, as does George Ford, by getting in the way of runners, without seeking to hit like Jonny Wilkinson. What tactical kicking he had to do was undertaken competently, but it was one flash of inspiration that set Cipriani’s afternoon apart.
Dealing with a lobbed pass from Tom Curry, Cipriani’s shift in weight and left-footed grubber kick to the corner for Jonny May seemed to have been overhit, however inventive it had been to spot the opportunity in the first place. Whether Cipriani accounted
Cipriani deserves a longer run. Jones must resist the urge to restore Ford – he needs competition
for the wet pitch slowing the ball or May’s astonishing turn of speed we know not, but both helped, and May sealed the vital score from Cipriani’s invention.
Going forward, Jones will be tempted to restore Ford, but he should resist the urge. Not only does Cipriani deserve an extended run, it is a long time since Ford felt any real pressure for his jersey and direct competition can only bring the best of out of all concerned.
Elsewhere, there was a strengthening of the set-piece with the introduction of Joe Marler, and the previous tactic of starting with him and using Mako Vunipola from the bench has more balance to it. That line-up allowed Jones to keep Kyle Sinckler at tighthead, whereas a start with Vunipola puts the England scrum under pressure. This was helped by the extra bulk of Joe Launchbury and by a tightening up of discipline in the driving maul, something that has been inexplicably lacking in England’s armoury recently.
In the back row, Chris Robshaw turned in another performance of consistency and his South African counterparts slogged on soft ground, where before they had thundered on firm tracks. Curry got more game time in which he did not look overawed and if he did not stand out, neither did he look out of place.
I like the back three as it is, with the option of Jack Nowell for Mike Brown, but we will see if Jones will stick to this formula or experiment yet further. To be brutally honest, the time for swapping options is over. What is needed is stability and familiarity. England are not as far forward in the World Cup preparation curve as they should be, but more instability will not improve their lot.
Jones has said they will be better for the reversals in South Africa, but they should not have needed to lose two Test matches from winning positions to learn, after the lessons given during the Six Nations.
What needs to be put right is obvious, and this tour has not raised anything new. Maybe the time has come for creative management to match the hard work.