However, although there have been signs of more consistency in the pool stage - and Chessum's try against Samoa, and others, have been reasonably well worked-overall England have not been playing well. The main reason for this is a high error count, and particularly the amount of compound errors, where one mistake follows another. These are like a hammer blow for any team.
England will have to resolve this against Fiji, and they will also have to work out how to get the best from Marcus Smith, because I did not see head coach Borthwick picking him out of position at full-back in a World Cup quarter-final.
In one sense it can be seen as a positive, because Borthwick has been pretty conservative in selection, but it is also a risk. Fiji do kick, especially box-kicks from scrumhalf, and they are much better drilled than they were, including no longer playing fifteens like sevens.
Smith is in a difficult position because the expectation is for him to carry England to glory in Marseille with his footwork, pace, and playmaking skill-set. The difference between Owen Farrell and Smith at fly-half is that Farrell plays by rote, whereas Smith reacts to what is in front of him - but expecting him to do it from full-back is a big ask.
Borthwick's decision to go with Farrell over Ford is also no surprise, because Farrell is his choice as captain, and against Fiji's big runners is probably more effective at 10 in the front-on defence required against them.
I don't believe that the Fijian kicking will be loose from scrumhalf, and it could expose England to high ball pressure across the whole of the back three without Freddie Steward in the starting 15, with Smith replacing him, and Jonny May and Elliot Daly on the wings.
This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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