England played in straitjackets at the World Cup – now the shackles must come off
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On Thursday, Steve Borthwick made a point that England have had only three main training sessions leading into this Six Nations Championship. In fact, the England head coach made that same point four times just so everyone was clear his preparation time has been limited.
Reading between the thickly drawn lines, the implication is to expect a gradual evolution rather than the wholesale revolution that could be interpreted from his selection of five uncapped players and his captain making vague references to ‘Bazball’. On the spectrum of excitement, the ‘Borthball’ on display at the World Cup was about as far removed as possible from the world of reverse ramps and switch-hit sixes unless you get your kicks from a good up-and-under.
This, as most rational people accepted, was an act of necessary short-term expediency after Borthwick had less than eight months to get the still smouldering car crash of the Eddie Jones era back on the road. England’s third-place finish proved that the pragmatic means justified the ends, even if it conveniently forgets the fact that they only beat teams they were expected to beat.
Now the bar has been set for basic competence at the set-piece and in defence, how much more can we expect? As the three training sessions line suggests, England are not going to go about a Stars In Their Eyes-style identity change – Dan Cole is not coming out as Boy George – but there needs to be evidence of a loosening of the shackles at the very least.
During the World Cup, England’s players looked like they were playing in literal and metaphorical straitjackets, unable to play more than three consecutive phases because their statistical model says the world will end if this comes to pass. More than anything you just want to see England’s backs trusting their eyes and backing their instincts rather than being beholden to a script that seems set in Roman marble.
England will remain a kick-heavy team but there is nothing wrong per se with being a kick-heavy team. Northampton, the Premiership leaders, kick more than a kilometre a game but no one would ever accuse them of being boring to watch because their head coach, Sam Vesty, gives his players licence to play what they see with their heads up. Too often in the World Cup, England would engineer an overlap only to kick possession away because the blinkers were on.
There is no point calling up the outrageously talented Immanuel Feyi-Waboso if you are just going to get him to chase kicks. Similarly George Ford remains one of the sharpest rugby brains around, capable of playing right in the teeth of the defensive line and changing the point of attack at the last second with his sumptuous range of passing. Yes, he can drop goals and kick to the corners when required but you are wasting so much of his skillset if you do not allow him to play flat and fast.
Captain Jamie George hinted that such a change might be coming, that England will chance their arm and be allowed to take risks. “We’re not saying that it’s absolutely fine to go out there and make shedloads of mistakes and the same mistakes over and over again, but it’s OK for things not to be perfect,” George said. “What we want is to have the courage to go, the courage to take people on, and that starts with Italy this weekend.”
Borthwick is right that England’s training time is limited, but guess what it always will be. Even with the new Professional Game Partnership, England are not going to gain any extra training sessions before the Six Nations, summer tour or autumn internationals. The only time this isn’t the case is before the World Cup.
No, Rome was not built in a day but it did start with a modicum of ambition. If George is serious about bringing supporters with him in this new era then England must do the same.
