Win means it is time to be positive – but tough calls still to be made
After a hard tour, England showed they are capable of putting together a game plan and then executing it
This has been a difficult series for England. And let us not pretend that one win suddenly makes everything rosy again. There are still question marks over their ability to play a quick ball game; real multi-phase rugby of the type we are seeing from Australia, Ireland and particularly New Zealand of course. And I am not sure we are that much closer to resolving key selection issues in the back row and midfield.
But credit where it is due. That was a big win at Newlands in some very wet conditions. It was a hugely important one, too. After five defeats on the spin, England had to go into the summer with something positive to cling to. And in the end they won comfortably.
What I was most impressed with – and what I think will please Eddie Jones most – was England’s discipline and tactical awareness, two facets of the game which have been sorely lacking in recent months.
Those were some pretty nasty conditions but they recognised the type of game they would have to play. They realised it would need to be a kicking game; that they would not be able to throw the ball around as they have at other times on this tour (with some success, too). Kicking, in fact, is almost more important than possession in a game like that.
England did it well. As I say, they stayed patient and did not try to force things. South Africa did. And that was why they lost.
I thought Danny Cipriani’s performance summed up England’s approach. After
10 years in the wilderness he would have been absolutely desperate to impress. It would have been easy for him to succumb to temptation and try to force things. All credit to him, then, for managing to rein himself in. For allowing the team to play the way they had to.
With the ball as slippery as a bar of soap, Ben Youngs did most of the defensive kicking from scrum-half. This was key to England’s success and very important as kicking from nine keeps the entire defensive line onside. Yes, some of his box kicks were too far, but by and large they were effective. And then Cipriaini and Owen Farrell took the attacking kicks, probing for the corners, turning South Africa. England won the battle for territory hands down. They stayed patient. And then when South Africa made errors, as they were bound to do, they kept the scoreboard ticking over. Farrell was ruthless. Seven from seven from the tee.
South Africa had their opportunities and then, after they briefly took the lead in the second half, they handed the initiative straight back to England when Warrick Gelant failed to heed the referee’s warning and gave a silly penalty away. England stayed patient, wrested back control with the same game plan, and after establishing a lead they killed the game thanks to Cipriani’s beautifully judged crossfield kick for Jonny May. Not many 10s in the world would have seen that.
I think Eddie has to keep Cipriani in the set-up now. He has clearly made a good impression on this tour, and he offers a different option to Farrell.
As I said at the start, one win does not suddenly erase all the doubts which have appeared over the past few weeks. Can England remain as disciplined when the conditions are good and a fast, multi-phase game is called for? Can they do that under the sort of pressure the All Blacks will no doubt exert this autumn? Have they got the tactical variety to challenge those three teams I mentioned earlier? Probably not at this point in time.
As for selection, there remain plenty of unanswered questions. I do not think Jamie George has put the Dylan Hartley debate to bed. We all know Eddie is a fan of Hartley’s leadership and character, and I think his future is down to him and whether he can recapture any sort of form.
Is Tom Curry the future at openside? He had a good game yesterday. Chris Robshaw did, too. But can he do that when it is not a slow game? Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler were excellent yesterday because they stopped giving away silly penalties. they learnt the lessons of this tour?
In the backs I would like to have seen Alex Lozowski and Dan Robson get run-outs but I can see why Eddie decided against. When you go 1-0 down in a three-Test series, you are naturally going to be
decisionmaking as you are so desperate to win the second game.
Is Elliot Daly the future at 15? I think so. He is such a brilliant footballer. It was a tough game for him yesterday and he made a few errors but, crucially, not as many as South Africa’s back three. Daly, Brown and May were far superior. The latter two definitely came out of the tour with their reputations enhanced.
So yes, of unanswered questions. But at the very least England proved they were capable of putting a game plan on the field and then executing it. That is something to build on.