Great to see England find another level
WHAT a fantastic turnaround it was by England in Brisbane, and I love the way sport can do this. The way England turned the Second Test around against Australia after being beaten by 14 Wallabies in Perth is the rugby equivalent of the old Shane Warne ‘doosra’ – the mystery ball you just don’t see coming.
If you execute well and cut out the errors you have a chance of coming back from a no-hoper situation like England did this week – and Australia did last week – but it is so difficult to do in the intensity of international rugby.
What is interesting about the Second Test is that while no individual England player was unbelievable, as a team they were outstanding. England were dominant in the first half, to the extent that they looked like they had built the platform for a comfortable win, but then Australia worked their way back into the game after half-time, and it could have gone either way after Sam Underhill was harshly penalised for a breakdown rip and Marcus Smith was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown.
However, this time Australia could not capitalise on England’s errors to the degree they did in the First Test, and overall they deserved to level the series because, on balance, they were the better team. England were outscored two tries to one, but they had opportunities which they did not put away, such as the Jamie George break and corner flag tackle on Jack Nowell in the first-half.
Those are the sort of opportunities where in a World Cup they must be more clinical – but some of the forward drill and execution, particularly the line-out drive for Billy Vunipola to go over, was brilliant.
It proved that England can get those fine margins right as well as any team, but they have got to do it in all areas. This applies particularly to being much sharper when it comes
to finishing opportunities in the 22, or those created from further out. There is no excuse for an attack not backing itself against any defence, especially if it is given quick ball.
It seemed that Smith got more ball as first receiver than he did last week, and I applaud that change because it allows him more freedom. I would not put him at second receiver because I do not believe it gives him any more time on the ball – in fact, with defences coming from outto-in, there is more heat at second receiver.
My instinct is that England’s outside backs are still not getting enough ball in attack, whether it was Tom Freeman this week, or Joe Cokanasiga last week, while Freddie Steward is mainly fielding kicks. They will all feel they have more to give. It is a little unfair to say that back three players should go looking for the ball if you are playing in a structured game by numbers, which is what Eddie Jones has done for most of the last six seasons. You cannot expect it, unless the back three are given a freewheeling role – and I don’t think that that has ever been the case.
Overall, everyone played well, including Owen Farrell, who is there for his experience, goal-kicking, and leadership. However, his off-the-cuff play is limited, which is why he often opts to kick in attack.
Defence is an area in which England will want to improve before the decider in Sydney, given that their tackle success rate of 73 per cent in Brisbane is not great, although by contrast, discipline improved with just under 10 penalties conceded.
My feeling is that this week England are going to have to score tries to clinch the series, and one real addition is Jack van Poortvliet. His kicking in the first half was excellent, and the reality is that accurate box-kicking is such an important part of the game.
In some ways it’s almost as important as the set-piece, because if you get your chase right under a ball which travels 35 metres with high hang-time you benefit immensely. It means that you win quick ball against a fractured defence, and you can make 60 yards in five seconds. I was impressed by Van Poortvliet, and his kicking should keep him in the team for Sydney.
England played with pride in Brisbane, and won with their backs to the wall. They should enjoy it. It’s a gift to play for your country, and since the 2019 World Cup final, England have not been anywhere near their best – but this was one of their best performances in the last three years.
Let’s hope it is the beginning of something better, so that England can put two poor Six Nations campaigns behind them, as well as the embarrassment of being beaten by a 14-man Australia side.
This England team is so unpredictable, with no consistency in their performances, that you have to be very brave to say that they will win the decider in Sydney. The last time England won two games in a row was last autumn. They find it a huge challenge to rediscover the same level of performance, but let’s hope they do.
“Defence is an area in which England will want to improve before the decider”