1
Should England receive medals for beating Ireland
By Ben Smith
The visceral reaction to England’s rousing win over Ireland has been a clap back at supposed arrogance from Irish media and former players.
ADVERTISEMENT
England were largely written off by pundits before the clash and it has to be said rightly so.
Hooker Jamie George had the right thing to say after the game, that England beat ‘the best team in the world’ but it doesn’t make them the best. It was what they believed they could deliver, and they finally did. He wanted the team to build more from it.
Others like Ollie Lawrence talked of the side wanting to ignore but also shut up the “outside noise” and Ben Earl talked of the “crap being levelled at the team”.
Yet most of the punditry has been on the money for this England group. When the criticism is warranted, what do you want these ex-players to say? Do you want their honest views or do you want them to blow smoke up your backsides and coddle you?
After dropping the ball 25 times at Murrayfield, these former players are going to call a spade a spade. They can only react to what is being delivered.
If England players and fans feel aggrieved for the side not being rated, more of this is required. Because what the Twickenham victory proved is England are capable of much, much more than what they have been dishing up. Not just under Borthwick but the tail end of the Jones era too.
So the first question that should be asked is where has this been? Why has it taken so long to finally show up with vigour, stand up and give something for the Twickenham fans to be proud of?
ADVERTISEMENT
Accept that you’ve been average and the performances have been insipid for the most part. Because there is now strong evidence that you’ve been playing well beneath your ability.
England looked alive for the first time since probably 2019. There was a similar energy to the performance like the demolition of France that year, and the win in Dublin over Ireland.
The England backs finally put it together and the explosive speed of Furbank, Feyi-Waboso and Freeman made a difference. Lawrence probably had his best game in an England jersey.
There was an attitude and intent to move the ball like at Murrayfield, but on this afternoon the passes stuck and the execution was at a much higher level.
ADVERTISEMENT
No 8 Ben Earl had a monstrous performance and England’s back row outplayed their counterparts. Earls’ powerful carrying helped England hold an advantage over the gain line.
There was a lot to like about the way they played. They had quick ball and used it well, generating three second rucks more than they have been. Across the board they had better breakdown speed than Ireland.
Ireland were slightly off the pace and mentally not at the level required on defence in the first half. They slipped tackles, had lapses in connection across the defensive line.
But they weathered the initial storm perfectly and banked four penalties to take a half-time lead and then came out in the second half and struck a big blow with a try to James Lowe.
England could have faded away towards another listless defeat at 17-8, but they rose up to hit straight back through George Furbank. They didn’t go into their shells, still playing with width and constructing a clever transition try from an Irish box kick.
An inspired Earl broke free and set up another raid, and shortly after England hit the lead when their No 8 bagged a try.
But for all the bluster and chest-thumping over this England side now, let’s not forget that this was no pantsing. A last-gasp drop goal by Marcus Smith squeaked England home in a tight Test match.
It was an absorbing and brilliant spectacle. It’s a famous win that many England fans will hope is a catalyst for change. That a new standard has been set.
Well off to Lyon you go now, please show us again against France.
Quarterfinal
“Yet most of the punditry has been on the money for this England group. When the criticism is warranted, what do you want these ex-players to say?”
No, it hasn’t. Most of the punditry has been surface-level responses to results, with a wilful unwillingness to consider the process of building a winning team.
What I want ex-players to say is something that gives me an insight into what is happening inside the camp, what the coaches will be focusing on, how the system is being built - and what is working, what isn’t and what England can do to fix the remaining issues.
Players like Dallaglio lived through the painful, multi-year process that took Woodward’s England from also rans to world champions. They mostly seem to have forgotten how they failed against NZ and SA in RWC 99, how they managed to fall at the final hurdle in the 6N 4 times between 99 and 2002, or how it was only in 2003 that they finally got a fully functioning plan A and plan B.
Players and pundits alike have seen how long it took Ireland, France, Scotland, the All Blacks and the Boks to get to where they are today, and they know that England are at a much earlier stage of that journey.
And yet instead of insight, we get knee-jerk responses to results, usually focusing on a small part of the game, and unrealistic calls for wholesale replacement of parts of the squad.
Yes, 25 dropped balls against one of the world’s best counterattacking teams is not a good stat, especially when you are still bedding in a defensive system that leaves the wide channels temptingly open to a team with Finn Russell and Duhan van de Merwe in it.
But England were ahead on pretty much every other stat in that game, and they were trying to play with a level of pace and ambition that had been missing earlier in Borthwick’s reign. As a fan it was frustrating to watch, because the game was very winnable with just a little more composure.
But as the emotions of the day subsided, it wasn’t hard to see that progress was being made and that when it clicked England would be capable of much better performances.
It fell to the amateur online analysts like Squidge and Wibble to bang the drum and give us some sense of what England were trying to do, and in what order.
While I understand that paid punditry is a competitive sport in itself and survival in the role depends quite a bit on saying the controversial, it should still be possible for ex-players and coaches to bring something to the debate that informs the fans rather than just echoing their frustrations.
Spot on? Hardly. What did England actually change in the past 2 weeks, bar some (mostly enforced, and primarily evolutionary) changes to the XXIII? The tactics remained the same, the execution improved (as you would expect with familiarity) and they not only clinched the game playing 14 against 15, but for 70+ minutes made Ireland - who even in defeat have looked worthy of the top table for the past two years - look very ordinary for much of the game.
Your final sentence, though, absolutely is on the money. England need to continue in the direction they have set. France have rediscovered their form (admittedly against a struggling and injury-wracked Welsh side) and have most of their physical power available to them, but are still vulnerable with Dupont and other key players missing.
A win is by no means a given, but if England can go to Lyon and ask difficult questions of France it will show that they are progressing.
FYI Ireland is not the no1 team in the world it is actually the BOKS
To expect England to be amazing under Borthwick in such a short space of time is unrealistic. The fact that they won a bronze at the WC and are still in contention for the 6N should be all that needs to be said at this stage. The British media are their biggest critics.
I think Borthwick is a great coach. And I think this England team will be formidable in 12 months from now.
And no, they shouldn’t get medals for beating the worlds best team. But, I might suggest Scotland should get a medal if they beat Ireland. For doing us all a favour!
I agree Ben. England players/coaches lashing out at the media and fans grates on me. They have been massively underperforming and we have been right to criticise. We've all been saying for a LONG time that these players have so much more potential. It's up to them to provide the fans something worth supporting. The style of rugby they played throughout the whole Faz era was dreadful. By putting in this performance against Ireland they've completely completely vindicated us. They should be thanking us if anything!!!
Congratulations to RugbyPass’s Nick Bishop and the excellent Wibble Rugby for picking exactly how England could trouble Ireland.
Ok, England's attack is often awful and Scotland is a bogey team for them. But they've got a very good pressure game which is a high percentage way to play rugby.
This is a new team with new coaches and a new way of playing. Already they are getting good results. If they can master the rush defence and get their attack going they'll be in with a great shout in 2027.
Most of the harshest criticism as usual came from British media some of them writing on this site. Ben Earl specified British media.
Irish pundits will back Ireland. Bookies had us 4-1 on. They will back us more. Normal behaviour.
England have been pretty awful thats for sure but also some of the punditry talking up 35 point scores and other nonsense was really off and really an example of how England were harshly judged. Throughout the championship they have shown improvements from the world cup. Against Scotland they dropped the ball a lot yes but they were playing away from home and hardly got thrashed. So yes they dont deserve medals but writing them off to such a large degree was not warranted
Hard to disagree. England’s performance was an impressive surprise but has been a long time in coming. Despite the offense taken at criticism, up till now, it has mostly been warranted. If this is a new level they can deliver with some consistency, continued criticism would be inappropriate. Let’s see what happens next.
Beat France and they could be getting runner up medals.