England struggle to adjust to Springboks’ tactical masterclass

Older heads would have been invaluable to help younger players as the battle plan unravelled

Ihave heard a lot of people asking how England can go from being so brilliant in the semi-final to getting so thoroughly beaten in the final. I do not think England changed a lot, the difference was the opposition. South Africa did to England in the final what England did to New Zealand the week before. Everything that went well for England in the semi-final in terms of dominating the collisions and the high balls was turned on its head. England played their best game the week before, South Africa saved their best for last. That is why they are world champions.

South Africa dominated every facet of play. They outclassed England. They had a clear game plan and executed it perfectly. In defence, their line speed was exceptional. They showed a huge desire to get the ball back and not let England settle. Facing eight beasts in the pack was always going to be hard for England to get quick ball as you are not going to win too many one-on-ones. Every ruck became a dogfight.

South Africa also targeted England’s back three far more than any team previously. Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard and Willie Le Roux were on the money with their kicks and their chasers contested every high ball. There was a clear plan to put pressure on them and South Africa won all the scraps.

What could have England done differently? They probably did not adapt to the game as quickly as they would have liked. When things were going wrong, it took a while to change it. By the time they did, the game was gone.

Eddie Jones chose to leave a lot of experience at home before the tournament, guys who have won a lot of big games in the past. Maybe if he had a few of them to call on he might have used his replacements much earlier to change the game.

You only really notice experience when you do not have it. Everything had been going England’s way in the tournament until they reached the final so it did not really seem that important. But when things turn against you, as in the final, then having guys who know how to change things up becomes really valuable.

You saw a similar scenario earlier in the year in the Six Nations when Scotland came back at England in the second half. Apart from Owen Farrell, there was a lack of leadership out there. It was left to Owen to sort things out. It felt like he was left out to dry by others. That is where the value of guys like Dylan Hartley and Chris Robshaw comes into its own.

I know the guys will be absolutely gutted. Obviously they should be proud of getting to a final, but that is no consolation. I know for a fact that they went there with one clear goal: to bring home the trophy. They have not done that so by their own standards it will be deemed a failure. But overall, England have made huge strides. Guys such as Sam Underhill and Tom Curry have emerged as real rock stars.

I really hope there is some common sense in the way the returning players are managed in the next few weeks. These lads are going to be emotionally and physically drained. They have gone through unbelievably vigorous training camps, some hugely physical games and now have just lost a World Cup final.

English rugby as a whole could do more to look after players. I am not saying there is an easy answer because any international coach

‘I really hope there is some common sense in the way the returning players are managed’

would like to see more of their players but with the money in the club game the owners want to see more of those same players.

There is also a big step up in the intensity going from club to England training. Before a Six Nations or autumn international campaign, coaches only have one week to prepare the players so they feel they need to push you incredibly hard to help bridge that gap from club to international rugby. How sustainable is that peak and trough cycle is in the long run?

When you are in an England camp, no one is going to complain because if you complain you will not be seen again. You just have to get the head down. There is so much depth so if there is someone who is a little fitter then it is a bit dog eat dog. That is the way rugby is. There are so many other players who can be picked that you will get guys going into games 50-60 per cent fit because the last thing you want to do is give someone else the opportunity to play well.

But the positives far outweigh the negatives for England from this World Cup. They did astonishingly well to get to the final, but came up just short against a brilliant South Africa team.