England players have spoken about how they want to reconnect with supporters, to change where they get off the team bus to engage more with fans. The Rugby Football Union is doing its utmost too, whether it be with the pre-match pyrotechnics or the half‑time show, but nothing gets the public on side like the performance England delivered against Ireland on Saturday.
We can come up with all sorts of marketing tools but it comes down to an intent to play and a desire to entertain. This team became so easy to follow because they were so exciting to watch, regardless of the result. If England had kicked and clapped to a win there would have been a real sense of achievement but there would not have been excitement. If England had lost but played in the same way, they would have been an easier team to follow.
The fact they started so well, with a verve, a tempo and accuracy, and they won, it was the perfect cocktail. The only disappointment is that there is not a home fixture on Saturday to build on the excitement.
I have not witnessed that kind of atmosphere at Twickenham for years because England have not produced a victory like that against a genuinely top side, and in that sort of attacking manner, since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. I’m not talking about the end of the match because it’s easy to get excited when your team drops a goal to win it in the 80th minute. But from start to finish there was a real level of engagement.
England cannot turn back, this has to be their blueprint, the way they play every single match. What more evidence do they need? A team that was able to play in a style that worked, a public that was fully engaged, one of the best results they have had in a significant period – all of this means it must be the direction of travel.
There is not a single player I know who would not be excited about playing in a team with that sort of intent or a supporter who would not be excited about watching a team like that. You look at the fallout, the butterfly effect of this team winning in that style is massive. The amount of content that became shareable, the comments sections, people are engaged across social media, the numbers have been astronomical since the weekend. They are not just obsessed with the result, it is the style – it has to be the way forward.
The personnel and the age profile is something to be excited about, too. It is not like it was an awesome performance but from a group of players who are not going to be around to drive the team forward in the summer and next season. There are a few who will not be, but the vast majority are here for the foreseeable future.
There was not much pressure on England going into the match and, as history shows, that often leads to a good performance. The challenge now has to be to back it up in France on Saturday. I expect Steve Borthwick will pick an unchanged team, provided everyone is fit, and I just hope to see a similarly fast start and a similar sense of fluidity. I have analysed Ollie Lawrence’s try a number of times and it is so clear to see from the actions of Lawrence, Henry Slade, George Martin, George Furbank and Tommy Freeman that it did not happen by accident.
The more they explore their potential, the more they will learn how far they can go. When you have a limited gameplan, you limit potential. Now we have seen what they can do. Saturday was day one of this new-look England.
