England manager Steve Borthwick must decide what his plans are for Marcus Smith (top) Photo: Getty Images/Dan Mullan
England fans wanted and got a much smoother performance in their 71-0 win over Chile and, importantly, it involved a back-line creating and converting scoring chances. The real problem is how do you measure this victory?
You can't deny the evidence of 11 tries, but you can't ignore Chile's semi-pro status. It would be wrong to overlook a contribution like the combative and at times brutal one made by Lewis Ludlam, but it would be equally wrong to assume that he could achieve the same difficult results that he did against much higher ranked teams. Although Chile has never stopped giving it their all, its benefit has always been limited in strength sports, which do not benefit weaker teams.
Steve Borthwick, the England manager, is thinking a lot about what another routine game against Samoa should be like next time. Will he change the lineup again or be a starter in the playoffs? Coaches often like to play nice during World Championships, never revealing their true intentions until the very last moment, thereby leaving the opponent guessing. This prevents the opposing defense team from having a week to scrutinize your attack, but it also stops testing your chosen units in game conditions until it really matters.
England manager Steve Borthwick (behind Marcus Smith) will be considering whether to rotate his squad again or play with the starting XI he intends to use in the play-offs. Photo: AFP/Glyn Kirk
Whatever Samoa bring to England's final game, they will be a major physical test that will test the usefulness of Borthwick's preferred options. Overall, it might have been better to call England's hand and give his team as much time as possible to get up to speed. They can always defer some of their strike plays until the latter stages, having the luxury of knowing that they will now lead their pool.
First of all, Borthwick will have to decide what to do with three playmakers — Owen Farrell, George Ford and Marcus Smith. At one point it looked as if Borthwick had wisely decided to end the longest experiment in English full-back history and accept the fact that playing with two playmakers at 10 and 12 was no more productive than allowing two regular centers to try and form an effective partnership .
Whether this decision will be made has been called into question with the emergence of Ford from the bench against Chile and the return of Farrell to the center, but the start of this combination will pose a problem, possibly depriving the most impressive player so far England defender Joe Marchant anywhere other than on the flank. If this happens, which of Johnny May or Henry Arundell, with five tries, will have to make way?
Also, what will Borthwick do when it comes to starting quarterback? Freddie Steward has done nothing wrong during his tenure and has proven that he is very reliable on high balls and that should not be underestimated just because he handles that pressure so well. However, Smith's ability to come late into England's tertiary attacks and choose which side he appears on is much harder for defenses to understand than covering two playmakers next to each other. Moreover, it has proven to be a key element in breaking through defensive lines rather than simply distributing the ball to other players to try and make the decisive breakthrough.
Borthwick could consider playing Steward on the wing, which would help cover one half of the pitch from attacking high balls, but does Steward have the predatory instincts of a striker like Arundell or May? It's better than no options, and Borthwick is being paid to make such a problematic choice, but no option comes without consequences.
At least England will have a long period before the final pool game and will be able to consider all of these options on the driving range. It will also give them time to study the performances of other likely playoff contenders. When they do, it will reinforce what they must already know: their performance individually and collectively will have to improve markedly to compete with the intensity of teams like Ireland and South Africa.
The Irish are winning. The Boks were all the more remarkable as they failed to win their lineout ball on four consecutive attempts near the South African line, and also lost two more shots in the first half. Maintaining an edge over the current world champions, even while losing these chances, shows how high their standards are when it comes to discipline and defense. England will need to find a way to solve this problem, and selecting Smith could be the risk that could provide the solution.
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