Taking off Marcus Smith for George Ford was a foolish move by Steve Borthwick
In Dunedin in July, England let a five-point lead slip against New Zealand; a week later, in Auckland, it was a four-point lead with 19 minutes to play. Then, on Saturday at Twickenham, against the same opposition in front of a rapturous home crowd, England let an eight-point cushion slip through their grasps. George Ford’s late drop-goal attempt slid wide and that was it. Against so-called tier-one nations, England have lost their last four on the bounce; in all four, they led at some point in the second half.
Closing out matches has turned from a thorn in England’s side to a chronic illness. And, at the heart of the second-half collapse, the replacements of head coach Steve Borthwick were in the spotlight. Marcus Smith was six from six off the tee, with 17 points to his name, when the fly-half was replaced by Ford in the 62nd minute. This is Ford who has not played a minute of rugby since Sept 28, when he limped off with a thigh injury in the sixth minute of Sale’s loss at Saracens.
A huge kick! 🦵
Marcus Smith extends England's lead!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvNZL | @EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/3GF4IFm6Rr— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 2, 2024
Ford is a fine player but he was rusty – he missed a tackle for the late try by Mark Tele’a, missed a late penalty and a drop-goal – and Smith was running the show. Replacing a 17-point fly-half seemed foolish at the time and as Ford skewed his potential match-winner it was proven to be so. The switch looked pre-planned and not in any way reactive to what had happened during the match. To quote Kung Fu Panda, one often meets their destiny on the path they take to avoid it.
Borthwick tried to park the bus
Ford’s introduction signalled a parking of the bus from England. Naively, Borthwick’s side believed that they could sit on an eight-point lead against New Zealand. These All Blacks might not yet be world beaters but this is a nation which, no matter what side it puts out, will always have the x-factor and firepower to overturn an eight-point deficit.
England, who barely created a try-scoring opportunity all match, had to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and trouble New Zealand with ball in hand. Instead, Ford’s arrival ignited a sense of predictability and hyperbolic pragmatism within England. There is nothing wrong with kicking – I am all for it, in fact – but there has to be an element of deception to it. As soon as Ford arrived, whenever England had possession the entire team set up in a kick-chase formation. New Zealand lapped it up and eventually the pressure told.
It was not just at half-back where the same lack of composure was evident. In last year’s World Cup semi-final, England replaced their two props, Joe Marler and Dan Cole, with the scrum having held out heroically in the face of the South African behemoths. Then, the Springboks turned the tide at the scrum and the scoreboard with it. Against New Zealand, similar was true. Will Stuart had Tamaiti Williams on toast in the first half – winning two scrum penalties – but when all six starting front-rowers had been replaced, New Zealand dominated. The scrum might seem like a minor facet of the game but it is very often the catalyst for momentum, which can snowball swiftly.
WHAT A MATCH! 😱
George Ford had the chance to win it with a drop goal but pushes it wide and the All Blacks claim the win!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/rV8qYW2Jf3— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 2, 2024
England found themselves where they wanted to be at half-time, even with having conceded a couple of pretty soft – albeit well-taken – tries. The attacking innovation might not quite have matched Tests from earlier in the year but the defensive aggression was notable, the scrum was solid, and the line-out was steady enough. From there, Borthwick’s side took control of the game and it was there for the taking. That is the most agonising thing about Saturday: England led New Zealand by eight points well into the second half – how often have we ever been able to write that – and it was entirely deserving. Letting that lead slip, at home, with the way the game had gone, was nigh-on unforgivable.
For all his strengths, Ben Earl’s tackling technique has put England in a sticky situation in two of those four tier-one losses. At the end of the French Test in Lyon, it was Earl’s NFL-style speedbump which led to Thomas Ramos’s winning penalty at the death; at Twickenham, Earl performed the same action which gave New Zealand a vital three points at a seminal moment of the match.
He can have zero complaints.
New Zealand were there for the taking. Beauden Barrett will not have a poorer game at fly-half – I would have had Damian McKenzie on from the start with Beauden coming off the bench – and Ardie Savea was quieter than his usual standards. That said, Wallace Sititi already looks world-class and, outside them, Will Jordan, Tele’a and Caleb Clarke – when they get the ball – are lethal. Patrick Tuipulotu looked lively off the bench, too.
England are now left wondering about what might have been – again. There was no lack of effort but, in terms of closing that game out, errors were made by both players and coaches. They must be learnt, and quickly, for the tests to come. A match-winning drop-goal slipping into the crowd was harrowing to watch, but it never should have come to that.