Showdown at Twickenham full of intrigue
One intrigue at Twickenham tomorrow is discovering which England shows up against South Africa.
The England that threw caution to the wind and torched New Zealand by 19 points in seven minutes to force a draw?
Or the England that had the All Blacks on a plate, a man advantage and possession and kicked the ball out to settle on a draw?
England closed ranks in support of game-ender Marcus Smith but the first-five had his detractors home and away and was booed by some in the crowd last weekend. For certain, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia would have played to win until the final whistle.
But it is not in England’s DNA to gamble, or think on their feet. Which made coach Eddie Jones’ praise of
Smith for finally showing his aggressive nature a touch ironic.
Smith has too infrequently brought the magic he creates for his Harlequins club to the international stage. Some believe he’s stifled from
having to slot between captain Owen Farrell and halfback Ben Youngs, two of England’s only three centurions. It seemed Smith was emboldened at the end last Saturday by Farrell carrying a leg injury and Youngs, fresh off the bench, playing quick ruck ball like in the old days.
A perfect storm developed. New Zealand reached 25-6 with 10 minutes left and began thinking of a pleasant flight home. Then fullback Beauden Barrett was sin-binned, Smith launched England’s do-or-die charge, and the crowd found its voice.
But a brilliant finish shouldn’t shade how badly England were disarmed by the All Blacks for 70 minutes. The pack was outmuscled and outsmarted, and halfback Jack van Poortvliet was exposed.
Senior members took the reins from the coaches this week and they drilled harder. Prop Kyle Sinckler wanted more scrums. Lock Maro Itoje led the lineouts and mauls.
Playing well for a full 80 minutes is also a goal of South Africa’s.
The Springboks’ development suffered after the World Cup was won in 2019 when the entire 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
This year, the Boks have been evolving, trying to find or create space to run the ball. They are heading in the right direction. They were second in the Rugby Championship by one point, and gave a rousing performance against Six Nations champions France, when they dominated for long periods even with 14 men and France had to rally late to win.
Similarly, they have had the upper hand on England for large chunks of their last two contests at Twickenham, but lost both by one point in 2018 and 2021. The Boks haven’t won there against England in eight years.