Ellis Genge, George Martin and Jamie George have been called out for their rate of missed tackles during a winless Autumn Nations Series for England. There has also been a call for a more experience Test level operator to be appointed above Steve Borthwick to offset the head coach’s inexperience and that of his team of inexperienced assistants.
Having lost 24-22 to New Zealand and 42-37 to Australia, England were beaten 29-20 by South Africa last Saturday at Allianz Stadium, leaving them on a run of five losses and ranked just seventh best in the world.
Their efforts haven’t been helped by the defensive frailty that has seen them concede a dozen tries under assistant Joe El-Abd since he was appointed as successor to Felix Jones, who is said to be working out his notice period remotely.
Steve Borthwick and Jamie George react to loss against Springboks
Steve Borthwick and Jamie George react to loss against Springboks
According to the RugbyPass match centre, second row Martin has missed 11 tackles in his three England appearances this month, with George on six and Genge on five. Those are figures that Jim Hamilton, the retired Scotland lock, doesn’t believe are acceptable – especially as Borthwick’s team have been exposed by opposition breaks from in and around the breakdown.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod, the show he co-hosts with retired England out-half Andy Goode, Hamilton claimed: “You look at the defence – no England team should be broken around that guard bodyguard, that one-two area.
Defence 
82%
Tackle Completion %
86%
“Happened against the All Blacks, happened against Australia so you are thinking, ‘We’re up against the Springboks, the best team in the world, this needs to be said – we have got to change what we are doing’.”
It didn’t change. “I thought George Martin’s been poor the last few weeks defensively which is his No1 thing, defensively hitting people. He’s missed a lot of tackles around that area, him and Genge together on that kind of one-two area where they have been burned.
“Jamie George exactly the same in that area, which you never see in an England team. So take out the fact that you are up against the back-to-back world champions, you are up against the best three teams in world – I’m putting Australia in that now. The glaringly obvious is their defence.
“On the blitz on the outside, but around the breakdown. Off the back of that the scramble as well. We see when South Africa get broken, they are all scrambling back whereas England are feeling a little sorry for themselves, they seem a little bit lost and that’s where the leadership and the understanding between the coaches and the players… like can they say it? What are they saying to Steve?
“If I was a player in that team, there is a fine line between honesty, pointing fingers and moaning but you have to be honest, ‘We’re not built to defend like that. There is something not right’.
“Whether Henry Slade is not fit because he has not played enough rugby to keep shuttling up and shuttling back or if there is a linebreak we can’t get back because the scramble, we’re absolutely bolloxed off the back of it… the defence is systematically just not working. They need to be able to come out and say, ‘Look, this ain’t working’.
“Whether it is Joe El-Abd or Felix Jones or whatever it is, but just complete honesty to say we’re not built, we cannot play against South Africa where you have players like Jasper Wiese, who is now fresh because he is not playing at Leicester, making gain lines, there is quick ball in around the corner because lads are getting opened who have never been open.
“Ellis Genge, I have never seen his defence so bad. Jamie George, I have never seen him defend so poorly. George Martin, I’ve said exactly the same thing. Ben Earl is getting bumped.
“I know they are against South Africa but these are moments where you are like they have got them under control but they haven’t because there is mad linebreaks happen and that is where I think there needs to be an honest conversation with what they are doing.”
Goode believed that the long-term remedy for England was the appointment of someone more experienced above Borthwick to lessen the load. “You look at the coaching staff, this is where England need to do something,” he insisted.
“The coaching staff are all very inexperienced as coaches and they are coaching one of the biggest teams in the world in terms of players, finance, etc, etc. Steve Borthwick has been a head coach a couple of years with England, a couple of years with Leicester.
“Richard Wigglesworth, he has been assistant coach for a short period of time. (Tom) Harrison, same thing, a young coach. It’s all very well having a young coach if there is an experienced head in there as well.
“And then defensively, we had Felix Jones. He [Borthwick] has brought in his mate Joe El-Abd, who is head coach at Oyonnax who are 14th in Pro D2 out of 16 teams in France. Now what gives you the right to think that is good enough to be coaching England as your defensive coach? You have seen the issues, we have got ripped up at times and that’s the weakness.
“The big thing the RFU and England need to do is get someone in above Steve with loads of experience to help him out because I don’t think Steve is necessarily head coach material from how his persona is and all this stuff.
“You are not going to hear anyone say this inside the camp but he has been fast-tracked into this role. He only left the England coaching ticket under Eddie (Jones) to go and get head coach experience because Eddie told him to because he was going to be the one that Eddie was going to put forward to take over his job.
“He has only had two years of club experience, two years in his job, he needs help, he needs some experience and the coaching team’s experience is mirroring the errors that the team are making.”
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