Former Manu Samoa No 10 and freelance rugby scribe Campbell Burnes saw an England side throwing off the proverbial shackles during the Six Nations.
There was a time, not too long ago, in fact, when England’s rugby was synonymous with kick and chase, kick and clap, even.
Eddie Jones tried to inculcate a more fearless, aggressive approach to rugby during his turbulent tenure, but he was gone by the end of 2022.
In came Steve Borthwick at the helm and the early results were hardly promising. After a sluggish fourth position in the 2023 Six Nations, England’s Pre-Rugby World Cup form was catastrophically bad. But somehow, it made it through to the semifinal and, if Handre Pollard had been astray from the tee, then the Red Rose would have reached a fifth decider against all odds.
The first three 2024 Six Nations outings hardly boded well, scratchy wins over Italy and Wales and failing to regain the Calcutta Cup from Scotland. Borthwick’s men were employing a blitz defence, under Felix Jones, which seemed to be hit or miss.
Then came the ‘eureka’ moment for England, edging the world’s No 1-ranked team, Ireland, 23-22 at Twickers in bold and brilliant fashion. Led by outstanding No 8 Ben Earl, the England pack rediscovered its mojo and that allowed the backs to cut free. There was no Owen Farrell, so George Ford was pulling the strings, and he looks more likely than the physical Farrell to ignite his outsides. Marcus Smith can chime in off the bench with maximum impact. The midfield of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade is not quite at the Nonu-Smith level yet, but it’s a step up from the days when Mike Tindall played upwards of 70 Tests. Poor old Tindall… decent bloke, good tackler, great snoz, slow as a carthorse on attack.
Now there’s a cutting edge to England’s attack and a desire to utilise the speed on the outside of George Furbank, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. The latter is just 21, so why wouldn’t you use his pace and potency?
Against Ireland, England played with pace, confidence and, above all, verve. The latter is a hard to define word that does not guarantee victory but does guarantee that you will go down with all guns blazing. This is what transpired in Lyon a week later when France nudged them out 33-31. But it was a cracker of a match in which England did all but cause a second shock in seven days.
This may be England rugby’s ‘Bazball’ moment, when it works out that it does have the personnel to be entertaining and win in the process. If they hold fast to these new-found principles, it should make them a far more compelling watch.
So let us hope that, when Borthwick’s men hit these shores in July, they do not retreat into their well-worn shells. They have found a better way to play rugby, should they retain most of the Six Nations roster for the tour to New Zealand.
In early February, you could easily have chalked up a 2-0 series victory for Razor’s first All Blacks. Now, the odds may have tightened on a 1-1 draw, with the W coming in Dunedin, as the second Test is at Fortress Eden Park.
Campbell Burnes – Rugby Writer
