The most marked aspect is in the way they are playing, especially when you consider where they were when Eddie Jones left Twickenham almost two years ago.
The limbo then, with players coming and going, was reminiscent of the England low points in the 1980s and the mid-late 2000s – and I hated the way that England were playing, and wasn’t all that interested in watching them.
Following that, the 2023 World Cup was a holding operation, and getting to the semi-finals was a job well done considering how badly the team played in the World Cup warm-ups.
The progress since then has not all been smooth, especially the early games in this year’s Six Nations, but the win over Ireland and narrow loss to France was a watershed in England’s approach – and it continued in New Zealand.
The overall level of England’s performance in the two Tests against the All Blacks was for me a 7.5 or 8/10. They were competitive, and good to watch, and I enjoyed a lot of what I saw, and was not overly annoyed that they didn’t take all their chances. These tours provide an opportunity to learn, and to grow, and this England squad should bank the experience and be better for it despite the disappointment of losing both Tests by small margins.
If England had played New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup there would only have been one winner, with the All Blacks probably 20 points or more better, especially in good conditions. Almost a year later England have played well and been competitive against New Zealand in an away summer series, and now they know that if they improve further they have a good chance of beating the All Blacks at Twickenham in the first of the autumn Tests.
It is now about Borthwick’s team evolving and growing, and getting on with it rather than thinking that it might be better if the NZ match was at the end of the autumn series.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 21, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 21, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
