England’s last loss to New Zealand left me really angry. Steve Borthwick’s methods need to be questioned because the game was there for the taking.
The team was in control.
England were 22-14 up on the hour when Borthwick committed a crime of which he is not solely guilty. All international coaches have been affected by this particular problem, perhaps with the exception of Rassie Erasmus.
On 60 minutes, Borthwick made a series of substitutions that clearly seemed premeditated. Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith are gone.
Chandler Cunningham-South soon followed, even though all three players were having good games. The fact that they were replaced cost England dearly.
Steve Borthwick’s decision to make changes against New Zealand proved costly for England
Marcus Smith was having a great performance when he was substituted with 20 minutes remaining.
Chandler Cunningham-South (pictured) and Ben Spencer also made way, and England quickly lost control of the game.
It was absolute madness. Not only did that trio excel in a titanic but error-riddled game, but they also weren’t fatigued in any way.
When Smith sat down on the bench, he almost looked around and shrugged as if to say, “Is that it?” I’ve finished now?
For the first three quarters of the match, England were generally in control. The All Blacks scored two good tries, but made many mistakes. His discipline was poor.
With an eight-point lead, England had the game under control and needed to build on their advantage. Instead, with Harry Randall and George Ford at scrum-half and fly-half respectively, they opted to maintain their lead.
This was a criminal and decisive mistake. In international rugby, you can’t just hold off an opponent and try to maintain your advantage.
You have to achieve victory for the full 80 minutes. This is not a personal criticism of any individual player, but rather a team tactic driven by the head coach.
Cutting Spencer and Smith was a dumb decision. The same applies to England’s front row, because New Zealand’s replacement props were up front on the set-piece and that gave them the platform and field position to win the match at the death.
When Ford came in, he was waving his hands and urging the team to calm down. To me, it sent the completely wrong message. The message was, “Let’s hold on to this now” instead of “Let’s keep playing and winning the game.”
Borthwick’s attempts to consolidate control allowed the All Blacks to get into the match.
And the visitors quickly took advantage of England taking their foot off the accelerator.
Ford’s missed penalty, which hit the post, and his last-gasp drop, which went wide, were not the reasons England lost. The substitutions were made and England cannot hide from it.
It is a great opportunity that has been missed. When Scott Barrett, the New Zealand captain, said England had “every chance” to win the match, he was absolutely right.
The team must, and I mean must, learn to deal with these close games to become a superior team. RFU senior brass need to ask Borthwick tough questions about this issue.
With three more matches against Australia, South Africa and Japan to come, it is difficult to do so now as international rugby moves on and on quickly.
However, he must do so early this week if England are to learn from this experience and use it to improve in the future.
It was a strange game in many ways. For all the talk about England’s offensive progression, I actually thought they were poor in that area and much better defensively.
Their only attempt came through Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a breakaway across the field. Smith’s boot kept England going. But, although England’s defense was generally good, they still conceded three tries. Will Jordan’s effort was a great example of what New Zealand can do. They make attacking rugby look so simple when done right.
George Ford had two last attempts to get England into the game, but failed to convert.
England have shown they are capable of doing it too, but we didn’t see it on Saturday.
The backline was very quiet and it was a shame players like Ollie Lawrence and Tommy Freeman didn’t exist as running forces. Lawrence and Freeman are wonderful with the ball in their hands. It’s beyond a waste not to see them do this.
In July’s 2-0 test series loss to New Zealand, England fell badly in the final quarter after a positive first 60 minutes. I don’t think the reason it happened in the summer was just because of the substitutions. But I certainly think that was the reason it happened this time.
Coaching in international rugby is about feeling. It is not a simple math game. If the key to winning Test matches was replacing certain players at certain times, anyone could do it. International coaching cannot (and never will) be about premeditated replacements.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with not bringing everyone in from your bench. I’ve been consistent at this for a long, long time.
For example, when Dylan Hartley was captain of England, I was extremely frustrated that he was constantly taken off in the second half despite being the leader.
England and Borthwick need to learn valuable lessons from defeat and Saturday fast
On Saturday, although Smith was not the captain, he was in control of the English ship and was sailing in calm waters.
As he set off, the seas suddenly became rough and New Zealand could sniff out a victory when there was none before.
Big credit to them for accepting it. For England, this pain should hurt, and hurt for a long time, mainly because the defeat was entirely avoidable and had been brought on by themselves.