It is tempting to reel out statistics and draw conclusions. The inescapable and welcome fact is that England is competitive at the top of the game in World Rugby. This is where we need to be, constantly, in an environment where our players are paid the best numbers and given the best treatment. We also suffer the highest ticket prices as supporters, so England expects and all that…

We do also owe Steve Borthwick the accolade of having selected the best players, stayed with them and released some ambition. Becoming hard to beat was a good start, if played out unfortunately in the glare of the World Cup and now we go into every match expecting to win and win well with the talent available. It’s a good place to be.

I was really excited before the match on Saturday, loved the Haka (The NZ anthem was very poorly delivered by Twickenham in contrast) and settled in for a classic, likely to be flawed but that’s ok in a mid-cycle between World Cups.

I firmly believe that these Autumn Internationals can really lift the spirit and allow our players to test themselves against the best from the South. So I was left disappointed that for all the flair of the Gallagher Premiership it was the All Blacks who scored three tries and should have scored at least two more. They ran the metres and offloaded 14 times versus our 4 (one was Itoje) while dropping the ball for fun and being penalised off the park. If they had been anywhere near a typical All Blacks team it would have been 50 points. As it was the quality of Sititi (wow what a player and by some distance the player of the match) and Tele’a was enough. Their front five is average as predicted especially once Codie Taylor came off and, as a result, Savea and an ageing Cane had to clean up a lot.

As for England, I talked last week about shrewd selection and savvy tactics, and we fell short on both. Slade was a high risk selection based on no rugby and a beneficiary of our bankrupt midfield options in this country. He achieved very little except to make a nuisance of himself in defence and Lawrence was the top tackler when I suspect he would have preferred to be the pre eminent linebreaker of which he is supremely capable. New Zealand had sharpened up their high ball act after being caught out in the summer. Why were we criticising Freeman in that area when we just want to see him run, and the prodigy Feyi-Waboso also needs the ball. He is already an awesome player – I don’t use that description lightly – and the All Blacks were very conscious of the need to pull him down early. As for Furbank, if we are going to kick so much then pick Freddie Steward. I felt really sorry for our back three who had nothing to play with.

These tactics ensured that we would not be creating tries and nor did we, which is beyond disappointing after all the players have done to inject creativity into their game. Ben Earl carried but did not impact, and one Itoje run apart, the England forwards never got into the game as runners. Patrick Tuipolotu as the second-row All Black substitute ran more yards than the entire England forward pack other than Earl. Who instilled these tactics on a dry, windless late Autumn afternoon against a side known for defensive frailty?

That all said, England’s try was brilliantly taken, a sign of what could have been, and we stayed in the game with a fantastic chance to win it, limited tactics or not. But any successful team has to close out a result over the full 80 minutes. The current Springbok team, almost every All Black team, Ireland of recent years, numerous England teams of club and country (eg Bath, Leicester, Wasps, England 1991/2, 2002/3) – they all knew how the last 20 minutes works. Arguably it is the only section of the game that counts.

Smith attracts mixed press -I love him as a player when given free rein and he now has huge levels of experience. A bit like Finn Russell you have to let him loose. Or Jonathan Davies, Dan Carter, Michael Lynagh, Jonny Sexton. If they can see the space, let them use it or give it to others. Other than replacing the entire front row which immediately gave the All Blacks hope (but what do I know), Smith’s removal for Ford was headshakingly difficult to understand, when Ford had not played for weeks and the pressure was white hot. Why not the recalled Lozowski to cover both positions, stop running Earl through the middle (what is the point it did nothing for us on the day) and play the last 20 minutes to win not to survive. It has been said already by the pundits and as the narrow losses continue it does become psychological because Borthwick’s every move in the closing stages will now be scrutinised, his keyboard advisers will start panicking and the opposition will play on it. England’s replacements will feel pressure and the team itself will worry. We may as well play the starting XV for the duration unless injured. Those were the days!

Meantime, masters of the one point ‘never in doubt’ win, the Springboks stand between England and an autumn of discontent. As a relentless optimist, I must also remember that the greatest teams learn their lessons in the furnace of frustration and near misses!

Even before that, an Australian team with absolutely nothing to lose and somewhat battle hardened will pitch up at HQ. An ideal test and this time cast off the shackles please England!

H

Fun fact – in the last 15 months Ealing Trailfinders has played eight Premiership/URC opponents. Won 7 Lost 1. Latest victims were the youthful Saracens who found no way back after shipping 4 first half tries in the Prem Cup. Next stop my old club the Harlequins.