Opinion
Rugby Union Correspondent
Back-to-back defeats plus injuries to Tom Curry and Emmanuel Feyi-Waboso mean Steve Borthwick will be forced to ring the changes
November 11, 2024 7:00 am
There is no place for Lawrence in Hugh Godwin’s XV (Photo: Getty/The i Paper)
England have now lost back-to-back autumn home matches against New Zealand and Australia, and the formidable world champions South Africa are next, rolling into Twickenham on Saturday evening.
The Springboks regained the world’s No 1 ranking by beating Scotland 32-15 on Sunday. At the same time, the Rugby Football Union let it be known they are backing Steve Borthwick as England’s head coach.
Borthwick would dearly love a big win over top opponents before the year is out – but how to do it?
Every suggested selection here is coloured by the short time available and a game plan of keeping the ball moving – the Scots’ clever attack on Sunday used kick-passes and evading contact before picking the moments to punch holes.
There again, it didn’t stop South Africa winning. And Two of England’s most reliable forces, Tom Curry and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, are out injured…
Back three
Full-back George Furbank is a lovely footballer and England need to get him involved much more. Freddie Steward is an option to deal with the new threat of the passage being cleared for chasers under the high ball.
Feyi-Waboso’s strike rate of five tries in his seven Tests is unavailable due to concussion, but Ollie Sleightholme is a born finisher and a reassuringly in-form pick, after an amazing first Twickenham cap on Saturday: on as a substitute three times and scoring twice.
If Steward plays, there is a case for Elliot Daly to return on the left wing.
Centres
Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence have had a good run at answering the question of who can do for England what Manu Tuilagi did at his best, but Lawrence, through no fault of his own, is not a like for like replacement.
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Between them, “Slawrence” suffered by comparison with the creative skills of Australia’s Len Ikitau and Joseph Sua’ali’i on Saturday, while England’s rush defence overall was too easily beaten by the skillful Wallabies, so it needs rapid recalibrating.
Northampton’s Tommy Freeman has the size and skillset to attack at 13, but there are doubts over his defence. Alex Lozowski has the sangfroid to take on the Boks, and Luke Northmore is a classy operator.
If only England were on two wins from two – and they were one goal kick against the All Blacks and one restart catch by Maro Itoje against Australia away from it – they could change from a position of confidence. Switching Freeman now is a huge call against the world’s best.
Half-backs
If Borthwick makes one change, let it be this – give Marcus Smith the full 80 minutes at fly-half. Okay, we know it’s not unusual to make an in-game alteration.
South Africa’s Handre Pollard played the full 80 minutes in Scotland on Sunday for just the third time in his last 17 Tests, and one of those was a World Cup final.
And Smith has more space to do his hitch-kicking thing when he is moved to full-back. But the idea of George Ford closing out a match has failed twice in a row so let Smith see it out at 10, assuming the Harlequin – who was limping at the end against Australia – is fully fit.
Furbank is the fly-half cover. At scrum-half, shake the tree with Harry Randall, whose quick line-out and speed to the ruck helped bring a great try by Sleightholme.
My England team to face South Africa
Backs:
15 George Furbank
14 Ollie Sleightholme
13 Tommy Freeman
12 Henry Slade
11 Elliot Daly
10 Marcus Smith
9 Harry Randall
Forwards:
1 Ellis Genge
2 Jamie George (capt)
3 Will Stuart
4 Maro Itoje
5 George Martin
6 Chandler Cunningham-South
7 Sam Underhill
8 Ben Earl
Replacements:
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie
17 Fin Baxter
18 Trevor Davison
19 Charlie Ewels
20 Ted Hill
21 Ben Spencer
22 Luke Northmore
23 Freddie Steward
Front row
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International retiree Joe Marler is eyeing up the I’m A Celebrity jungle just when England could do with his scrummaging among the big Springbok beasts.
With Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour just too raw to face the Boks’ “bomb squad” of big forwards, it’s difficult to see anything other than a same-again six of Ellis Genge and Fin Baxter, George (who was brilliant in the loose against Australia) and Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart and Dan Cole – unless the 37-year-old Cole stands down and Trevor Davison is told to deliver the 30 or 40 minutes of his life.
Back five
Oh, how big a miss is Courtney Lawes, now he’s playing in France? And what about other England probables and possibles who are off limits there too: tighthead props Kyle Sinckler and Will Collier, back-five forwards David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlam, Billy Vunipola and Jack Willis, and backs Owen Farrell and Joe Marchant?
Well, they aren’t coming back this week, if ever, so Itoje and George Martin must go again in the second row, with a team-wide order to protect the ball in contact as if their lives depend on it (it’s not as if they don’t already know).
Chandler Cunningham-South stays at No 6, Sam Underhill is the obvious replacement for Curry, and Ben Earl at No 8 fits the movement brief.
As for the bench, it has never been more crucial. For the right mix of muscle and skill – and in the absence of another crock in Ollie Chessum – give Bath’s Charlie Ewels and Ted Hill a shot.
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