England have a Rugby World Cup supply chain problem, not a personnel issue.
Rugby loves business jargon almost as much as it fetishises military terminology, so let us delve into the land of logistics for a handy analogy.
From procurement to delivery, England often make a series of small errors at each stage along the way. Each one might cost them only a split second on the ball, but they all add up quickly. Eventually, attacks tend to hit a tipping point and the sequence peters out.
If England’s half-backs realise what is coming ahead of time, they put boot to ball to avoid being turned over in possession; if they run their off-kilter patterns to full sequence, they lose the ball.
On the occasions that everything falls into place, England’s gameplan can look sensational. Ollie Chessum’s try in the early stages of Saturday’s below-par 18-17 win over Samoa stands as proof positive that England’s overall attacking approach can work. Now it needs to work all the time, not just in fits and starts.
England’s breakdown work is too sloppy too often, and opponents take full advantage. Steve Borthwick has not had multiple years to build a system like those used by Ireland or France. The head coach has now, however, had plenty of time to have compiled a far more cogent attacking rucking process.
Rugby’s deadliest attacks revolve around creating a series of tiny time advantages that eventually add up to create enough breathing space for one player to cross in the corner. Even the angle of entry at a ruck by an individual can create a discernible time difference down that assembly line. England simply have too many situations where at least one of the workers at the conveyor belt has missed their step.
Rotating resources in the back row will not solve the problem. This has to be regarded as a team issue. The only fix is to drill the team sharper and with more exacting standards.
England’s ruck speed and ball cleanliness were wholly insufficient against Samoa. Any repeat on Sunday, and Fiji’s master breakdown technicians will tear England’s platform apart.
England could field any back-row combination and still suffer the same struggles that have dogged them throughout Borthwick’s tenure.
Sam Underhill has joined the squad to replace the injured Jack Willis, and the Bath flanker ranks among England’s finest breakdown operators. The 27-year-old would show up well if parachuted into the squad to face Fiji, but it is time for the players to solve these niggly problems with a collective approach.
If England regularly attack for three to four phases and then kick, even if no tactical punt is viable, this will be a sure sign they still have limited confidence in ball retention.
England’s penchant for punting has come under fire, but there is a humility in understanding limits. No one in camp would ever say so, but one element of the strategy is an admission of that inability to retain and recycle for repeated phases. To kick and regroup certainly represents a smarter strategy than ploughing a lone furrow and losing the ball.
England have respected their limits, but there is now no choice but to test them. Borthwick will fail in the long-term if his tenure is always so risk averse.
Led by the peerless Levani Botia, Fiji picked off England at the breakdown in that stunning 30-22 win at Twickenham in August. Former prison officer Botia had Saracens locked up, too, when he shackled them at the ruck in La Rochelle’s 24-10 Champions Cup win in April. It’s time for England to find precision and pinpoint accuracy.
