England haven’t clicked as an attacking force in their two November Tests so far and I think a lot of that is down to the struggles of the centre pairing.
In the narrow defeat by New Zealand, Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade did well defensively but were non-existent with ball in hand.
Then, against Australia, the two swapped positions with Slade moving to No 12 and Lawrence at outside centre. On paper, the move shouldn’t have made too big a difference. But what did happen was that England’s blitz defence was badly exposed. It allowed Australia to score a mammoth 42 points at Twickenham.
That should never happen to any England side. Lawrence was far more lively going forward in the Wallabies game, but the bottom line is that England still lost.
To have any chance against back-to-back world champions South Africa on Saturday, England need Slade and Lawrence to produce the sort of complete display we haven’t seen yet, not this month at least.
Slade came into the autumn on the back of just 54 minutes of club rugby with Exeter after a shoulder injury, so it’s probably no surprise he hasn’t been at full tilt.
In the narrow defeat by New Zealand, Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade did well defensively
However, against Australia England were carved open and let their opponents score 42 points
Steve Borthwick needs his midfield to come together for his side to have any chance of victory
The midfield is the heart of any team. The centres are the glue that bind the XV together. In the England team I coached, the majority of the headlines went to the likes of Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson. But, in a side full of world-class talent, the centres pairing of Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood were the crucial cogs.
Mike Catt also played a key role in us winning the 2003 World Cup, coming off the bench to change the quarter-final with Wales and starting the semi-final win over France. There were many other centres I relied upon too. I was fortunate to be able to do so.
Slade and Lawrence are quality players, but the reality is that their partnership isn’t working yet. I hope that changes against South Africa and it will have to if England are to win, because the Springboks have the best midfield pairing in the world in Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
Moving forward, I would urge Steve Borthwick to explore the option of playing Tommy Freeman at outside centre. I think he’s a wonderful player. We haven’t seen much of Freeman with ball in hand this November, but he’s been marooned out on the wing chasing kicks and playing in a team that has yet to discover how to really play fast. I think England might get the best out of him by moving him inside.
Freeman switches between the wing and 13 for Northampton and excels in both positions, so it’s not like he is an alien to the centre role.
Freeman has swapped wings for this game. Borthwick has surprised me with the decision to drop Ben Spencer at scrum-half. But picking Freddie Steward over George Furbank at full back is a decision I can understand, although it’s not one I would have made.
We all know South Africa play a direct game with lots of kicking. Their approach is based around their desire for physical dominance, and Steward has been picked to compete in the air. But South Africa will not kick the ball to him, so I wonder too if the new laws on stopping escort runners during kick chases has led to him getting the nod.
We’ve seen this autumn that the new rule means the aerial contest is now even more important than before, and Steward excels in that area as we all know.
Freddie Steward’s selection over George Furbank at full back will allow for a more direct game
England narrowly lost against South Africa in their last meeting last year in the World Cup
But England need to use his skills going forward as well as in defence. I’d like to see Marcus Smith try to find him with attacking cross-kicks, and I would have selected Stewart on the wing for that reason alone.
If that tactic is executed well, then 6ft 5in Steward should get the better of 5ft 7in Cheslin Kolbe, 5ft 9in Kurt-Lee Arendse and even 6ft 2in Aphelele Fassi each and every time. It’s a tactic I want to see.
This is a game England don’t need to get themselves up for. After two autumn losses from two games and four straight defeats, the team has had its fair share of criticism which is understandable. But history tells us England sides tend to come out firing when they’re in a hole – though I don’t like that it takes the team to lose to deliver a big performance.
That’s what seems to happen, however, which is why I’m expecting South Africa to be pushed all the way – as they were the last time the two sides met in last year’s World Cup semi-final. England played the most limited game plan I have ever seen to compete on that occasion. I hope this selection is not a sign that they will revert to those tactics. They do not need to.
South Africa won that game by a point and I expect this to be similarly tight. Only this time, it’s England by one for me!
My three key clashes to watch:
Will Stuart vs Ox Nche
Stuart isn’t a player who makes a lot of headlines for England but he deserves to, because he’s had a strong autumn so far. The Bath tighthead has gone well at scrum time and England’s set-piece has weakened when he’s gone off.
Stuart will have to continue his form against the Springboks who pride themselves on destroying the opposition’s scrum. Stuart’s opposite number Nche is probably the best scrummaging prop in the world.
England’s Maro Itoje (left) and South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth (right) are set to have another thrilling face off
Eben Etzebeth vs Maro Itoje
You feel like you say this every time these two sides meet, but what a match-up this is! It’s two giants of the game and modern greats going to battle. Itoje always seems to save his best performances for the biggest games, so I’m expecting another huge display from him.
Etzebeth is a monster. To me, he sums up how the modern player has developed physically. Itoje has gone well in England’s first two matches but if he doesn’t replicate that form, England won’t win.
Freddie Steward vs Aphelele Fassi
Steward is one of four England changes. He’s been selected to combat South Africa’s kicking game with his aerial skills. Steward is arguably the best in the world at that, so I can totally understand why he’s come in for Furbank. Smith needs to find him with cross-kicks in attack.
My only concern is I hope Steward isn’t rusty – he hasn’t been involved in the first two autumn Tests and when he played against New Zealand in the summer after a similar time away, he didn’t quite hit top form.
