After stinking out the Rugby World Cup in their opening two matches, this England performance was like sweet perfume. Conservatism gave way to unpredictability. Straightjacket rigidity to pace and unexpected delights. And while it was only Chile, officially the worst team at this World Cup, this punchy 71-0 demolition offered a glimpse of a potentially different – and more intriguing – path for Steve Borthwick’s side at this tournament.
The questions over the coming fortnight will surely centre on whether England’s coach will stick or twist, roll the dice or play it safe. But the fact they are being asked at all tells you something about this 11-try victory – and how well Henry Arundell and Marcus Smith grabbed their chance to make their case.
Arundell, who scored five tries on his World Cup debut, will rightly earn many of the headlines with a performance that equalled Josh Lewsey’s England record against Uruguay in 2003.
The best was the fourth, as the 20-year-old chipped a kick over full-back Francisco Urroz, before claiming it on the line. And while the rest mostly came down to applying the finishing touches from a couple of yards out, the Racing 92 player was understandably elated.
“I can’t believe it, to be honest,” he said. “It was a bit surreal. There are aspirations to attack. We want to score tries. It hasn’t changed that much, it depends on the team and conditions.”
However, perhaps the most striking demonstration of England’s new approach came shortly before half-time, when Owen Farrell fed Smith just before halfway.
At this point Smith, whose conversion from fly-half to full-back is looking increasingly compelling, had four Chile players around him, while another, Matías Garafulic, was waiting to join the line. Perhaps in somebody else’s hands, the ball would have been thumped ahead. However, Smith had other ideas.
First came an injection of pace which took him out of range of four potential tacklers. Then, as Garafulic advanced, came a grubber kick so perfect it skipped and scampered before jumping back up so that Smith could collect it. Moments later he had dived into the corner for a magnificent try.
Before kick-off, when Borthwick was asked about Smith’s inclusion, he offered a long and lyrical reply. He stressed how the 24-year-old opens up defences, finds space and has a great kicking game. As well as his ability to put people through holes and his rugby intelligence. It was an answer that could have gone straight on to Smith’s CV – and he lived up to that billing.
“It was nice to score loads of tries as a team,” Smith said. “It was our responsibility to take another step forward, and I think we did that today.”
What made Smith’s performance notable was that until three months ago, he had little experience – or inclination – to play full-back. Instead he was pencilled in to provide fly-half cover for Farrell and George Ford. That changed, however, when England’s defence coach Kevin Sinfield floated the idea during the squad’s heat camp in Verona in July.
It required him to take the rugby equivalent of an accelerated language learning course. Yet Smith is proving a fast learner. And his dynamic running and willingness to risk the unconventional has made England look less one-dimensional.
And that point is surely crucial. In their opening two matches, Borthwick’s side dipped into the classic England playbook: dogs of war against Argentina, conservatism and an over-reliance on kicking against Japan. But World Cup victories need more than a staid formula.
Smith showed his willingness to attack in the opening moments, goose-stepping past one player before trying to clip it towards the advancing Arundell. That didn’t come off, but it was a sign of things to come.
Three minutes later, another chance went begging when the ball was sent out wide by Farrell. Smith had beaten his man and could have gone for a try. Instead he tried to play in Max Malins, only for his pass to be slightly high.
It summed up England’s bolder approach. All that was letting them down in a scoreless opening 20 minutes was the final pass. That soon changed when England won a scrum penalty in front of the posts and Farrell, who had an excellent game, found Arundell out wide to open the scoring.
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Chile had been impressive but now England’s overwhelming power and class quickly told. By half-time they were 31-0 ahead and there was no respite in the second half as 40 more points were scored – with Smith adding a second and feeding Arundell for his fifth, a score that makes him the tournament’s leading try scorer.
And while it was only Chile, who had lost by 30 points to Japan and 33 against Samoa, England were understandably elated.
They now have two weeks off before they play Samoa in a fortnight – but Smith and Arundell, in particular, have given Borthwick much to think about.
