Bad decisions, bad play — but all is not lost

SEEING Ben Youngs cut short a post-match interview with Gail Davis on Sky so sharply worries me. Firstly, it was simply bad manners and childish — and very untypical of Youngs, who I know to be a thoroughly decent bloke. But what is it telling us about the England camp?

Of course players are feeling the pressure — that’s what happens when you find yourself on a losing run. But the game ends with the final whistle and after a quiet moment to himself — and players should always be allowed that — a professional rugby player must observe the niceties.

Congratulating the opposition, clapping down the tunnel and accepting media responsibilities are part of an age-old tradition that help sets the game apart.

Youngs, who I am pleased to see apologised promptly on Twitter, knows all this but the subliminal message I’m getting is how profoundly disappointed, in fact disgusted, he and England are with the way they are playing and losing at present. Accepting defeat is part of sport but it’s easier when you know you have given everything and pretty much fulfilled your potential. After that it’s in the lap of the gods.

But England aren’t doing that. They are playing well in brief passages — the first 20 minutes last week, the first 10 minutes this week — but disappoint themselves and us for much longer periods when they don’t begin to do themselves justice.

It’s eating away at them. The yellow card given away by Nathan Hughes in second half was ridiculous and Mako Vunipola should probably have had a second yellow card on the bounce with his silly slap on Peter Steph du Toit’s head at the bottom of a ruck.

Then there are the poor decisions in tight games. England should have taken those three points just before half-time and again after the break. I simply don’t understand those calls from Owen Farrell, who is arguably the best goalkicker in the world.

Occasionally, Test rugby is a spectacular try-fest but more often at top level it’s just about doing what needs to be done. Farrell is captain now and needs to find a way of briefly distancing himself from the fray and making cool decisions. It’s about now some people will probably begin to appreciate what Dylan Hartley brought to this side.

Why no drop-goals? England just needed to build the score a little, three points here, three points there. Absolute basics. First stay in the game, hang in there, score a few points, get the Boks looking up at the scoreboard and fretting.

And then there was just some very ordinary play. Youngs (below), as he did at a crucial stage last week with a bad clearance kick, squandered some priceless go-forward possession early in the second half here, this time making a smart break but throwing a loose pass. These are the moments that count.

England have lost their way but they have to stay doggedly on the case. A really big week awaits. They might have lost the series but their need for a win and an 80-minute performance remains as great as ever.

England must stay tight as a group, perhaps even have a night out together tonight and then knuckle down one last time. Yes, it’s been a long season and for their Lions contingent — in particular the Saracens contingent — it’s been a very long two seasons but they must go to the well one more time. Eddie Jones will know all this and as he goes over everything in his mind, he will be hurting like hell. In the short-term he needs to have faith in his squad and freshen things up a bit. There were some tired legs and minds out there. It’s time — in fact it’s long overdue — for Danny Cipriani to start in tandem with Dan Robson, his Wasps scrum-half for the last two seasons, and maybe with Elliot Daly, another Wasp, at outside centre. The more Daly has the ball in his hands the better. I’d give Mike Brown, who has done well and battled hard, a rest and have a look at Jason Woodward at full back and start Jonny May and Nathan Earl on the wing.

Up front I would give Mako a rest and bring in Ellis Genge but make no other changes unless Billy Vunipola is unfit, in which case Sam Simmonds could play.

Selection is only part of it. England must get their mindset right. They need to be more positive and precise and more aware of game situations. And they need to believe that they can change all this very quickly.

South African rugby was on a big downer for much of 2016 and 2017 and yet suddenly after two good wins they are on a high and you can feel the energy surging back into all concerned.

England are still only 80 minutes away from righting the ship but they need to do it next week otherwise the hurt and frustration will fester until November.