England has spirit, but their terrible attack means their only hope is stubborn defiance.

England couldn't put sustained pressure on Wales in attack. Photo: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns

There's no questioning the spirit of this England side, fighting off three players and eight points to salvage an exhilarating and desperately needed win at Twickenham.

However, once the karaoke in the stands dies down, England will need more than just stubborn defiance if they are to push deeper into the World Cup. It seems no coincidence that their best performances in this World Cup cycle have been driven by huge odds, from Freddie Steward's red card against Ireland in this year's Six Nations, to Charlie Ewells' 82-second send-off against the same opponent.

This clearly resonates with the English mentality as the Twickenham fans, who have booed England in two of the last three home matches, have played a huge role in getting their team over the line against Wales.

Of course, this uncompromising character is admirable, but at some point England will have to learn to play without pressing their back against the wall. You could watch the double header of Barbie and Oppenheimer — minus the credits — since the England defender last scored a goal, Freddie Steward against France.

Only four weeks left before the World Cup, and it seems that the time has come to Borthwick to stop the attack, which has been going on for so long that it begins to resemble the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

After losing their last three matches — and with an unenviable trip to the world No. 1 in Ireland next week — defeating an experimental Wales side was clearly on the agenda. The victory was all that mattered. Hearts and minds will obviously have to wait another day, as England has done a lot of slag in the first hour.

Speaking to Borthwick and his players, it is clear that there is a huge amount of inner faith in their base at Pennyhill Park, but on the basis of yet another devaluing attacking game, there is no real reason for England fans to share this hope for a trip to France. — unless they plan on throwing early removals.

Will England be able to pull back their attack in time for the World Cup? Judging by the match in Wales, this looks increasingly unlikely… Photo: Getty Images/Dan Mullan

Instead, fans would have experienced a fair amount of déjà vu following a 20-9 loss to Wales last week, as England enjoyed an excess of territory and possession in the first half only to give it very little.

There have been improvements. Before his red card, Owen Farrell brought a lot more variety to the English leg game: a spiral bomb that completely unsettled poor Josh Adams, and some clever changes of direction and flight. The corridor was also closed with the return of Jamie George and Maro Itohe. England had a platform to build on, but like a four-year-old building sandcastles on a beach, any structure was quickly swept away by the waves of Welsh defences. Or their own bad game.

With 1,067 caps, they were the most experienced England team ever, so while there were new combinations everywhere, save for a couple of midfielders, lack of familiarity is a poor excuse for so many mistakes. . Center Ollie Lawrence was instructed to «knock down the front door,» which he didn't quite follow, but at least picked up momentum.

However, England seemed to have no idea what to do next with their runners frequently overtaking or colliding with each other. There is no common wavelength when half a side is on DAB and the other is on the old FM tune.

Brian Moore's verdict

The picture was taken shortly before the break, when England converted a five-meter penalty. The corridor was secured and Lawrence landed with the first carry. From there, Courtney Lawes was thrown back, and Billy Vunipola instantly cut him down, stripping him of any semblance of momentum. Farrell attempted to transmit to Joe Marchant from an internal transmission, but due to the lack of a fast transmission, it was easy to read. By the time the ball was passed to Freddie Steward, the Welsh cheer group had gathered to extinguish the attack.

In the first half alone, England threw the ball in and around the red zone six times. Not once were the Welsh defenses subjected to even remote stress. Then it was almost clear that Henry Arundell would be sent to the basket for a premature tackle on Liam Williams, since by this point he had touched the ball only twice.

The second half went in a similar pattern. Even when they got a great attacking position thanks to Lowes lineout interception deep inside Welsh 22, they kept turning the ball. Lawrence broke the line, but the speed of the ball gradually decreased to the point that Wales defender Williams was able to steal a pass from a downed ball carrier with relative ease.

Owen Farrell's possible Woe at the World Cup

Then came a card frenzy in which structure and much of the logic flew out the window. Joe Marchant was one step away from landing a crossfield shot from George Ford, who added a lot more control in the flyweight.

However, although the vast majority of the fans went home happy, big problems remain, especially in attack. All this hides your hand very well, as long as you do have a few cards under the table. At the moment it seems that England is holding a little more than their dignity.