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England player ratings | The 34 players capped at Rugby World Cup 2023
By Liam Heagney
France 2023 ended in a bronze medal finish last weekend for England, a conclusion that few thought possible coming into the tournament. Their style of blunt, kick-dominated rugby was never pretty but it ultimately produced results, six wins in seven matches and just a single loss, that agonising one-point semi-final setback to South Africa courtesy of a 78th-minute scrum penalty after they had led for most of that match.
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Having won just three of nine games under Steve Borthwick prior to flying to their Le Touquet-Paris-Plage base camp on August 31 and conceded 30 tries in the process, optimism was in short supply before they crossed the Channel.
However, the momentum built over the course of the finals in France banished concerns about the rookie Test-level head coach’s credentials and the outcome has instead provided him with a foundation to move towards the 2024 Six Nations with hopes of picking off Italy, Wales and Scotland in February before the March denouement versus Ireland and France.
Borthwick will embrace that campaign with a squad minus some now-retired Test rugby warriors, the likes of the talismanic Courtney Lawes, and some others, such as Joe Marchant, who have moved away from the Premiership to play their club rugby in France.
That Six Nations tournament is sure to be intriguing. In the meantime, though, here are the RugbyPass England player ratings from the Rugby World Cup:
FULL-BACK (2)
Freddie Steward – 8
5 starts (389 mins): We rated him 7/10 in late September when England headed into their two-week break after their Pool D wins over Argentina, Japan and Chile, but that mark now bumps upwards due to his commendable reaction to selection adversity he hadn’t previously encountered in his career.
The soon-to-be 23-year-old could understandably have been left inconsolable by his axing from the quarter-final team but he bit his lip and returned to star under the high, greasy ball in the semi-final. He then showed positional flexibility by signing off with a second-ever right wing start versus the Pumas. Made 46 carries in total at the finals, a highlight being his excellent crosskick catch to score against the Japanese.
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Marcus Smith – 6.5
3 starts, 3 runs as sub (272 mins): He deserves kudos for reinventing himself as a full-back but the fact that he had to head down that particular avenue only highlighted how far down the out-half pecking order he has fallen in the eyes of Borthwick as a 10 since he started last March in that position versus the French.
His excellent chip-and-chase score from halfway against Chile was a reminder of how he can excite in space, but the physical punishment he took in the tackle as a starting quarter-final and bronze final full-back illustrated he isn’t a readymade defensive 15 unlike the way more robust Steward.
WING (4)
Jonny May – 5
5 starts (383 mins): He called time on his Test career earlier this week following a run of selection that was unimaginable on August 7 when Borthwick omitted him from the original squad of 33. Anthony Watson’s pre-finals injury secured him inclusion but he had limited on-pitch involvement as England’s restricted ball play meant jumping for it rather than running with it was role.
Elliot Daly – 6.5
5 starts (370 mins): Had more of an involvement than May as England applied more of their approach down his wing, and he also started against Chile at No13. Enjoyed eight dominant tackles, showcasing his defensive security, while he was competitive in the air. However, as with May, the width needed for him to show off his exemplary running never materialised.
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Henry Arundell – 5
2 starts (146 mins): We gave him a 10 back in September after his five-try effort against Chile – a rich harvest that ultimately saw him finish joint third top try-scorer – but that assessment is now halved on the back of the non-event that was his display in the bronze final versus Argentina, a start where the ball was a total stranger to him.
Is Test-eligible for the Six Nations despite his switch to Racing, but there is not much point in him being involved if England’s game plan doesn’t include tactics to show off his attacking talent.
Max Malins – 2
1 start (70 mins): It just simply never happened for him in France, a sole uninspired start versus the Chileans and nothing else.
"I've got a medal for you" ?#ARGvENG | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/KatvND1piO
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 27, 2023
CENTRE (3)
Joe Marchant – 7.5
6 starts, 1 run as sub (490 mins): Isn’t a world-beater but deserves applause for the way he worked his way into Borthwick’s selection and stayed there, a consistency across the whole seven-game campaign rewarded by his quarter-final try against Fiji. No longer a Test option, though, as the switch to Stade Francais rules him out.
Manu Tuilagi – 7
6 starts (406 mins): Fair play to the club and country sports scientists and the medics for coming up with the blueprint that made Tuilagi so robust. Six starts across eight weekends was no mean feat for someone so prone to injury.
Had two memorable attack moments – scoring against Fiji and giving a slick assist to Ollie Chessum versus Samoa – but was otherwise restricted. However, his game-one display in defence with England a red-carded player down was immense and he seemed to get a great kick from packing down in the scrum as an emergency flanker.
Ollie Lawrence – 5.5
1 start, 6 runs as sub (172 mins): One of just four players to play in all seven matches – Marchant, Chessum and Ben Earl were the other three – and yet we didn’t see him properly thrive given that a half-dozen of those appearances were as a sub. The sharp lesson is he must make himself as indispensable as Marchant was with a starting shirt on his back.
OUT-HALF (2)
Owen Farrell – 8
5 starts (400 mins): His many critics will say his World Cup amounted to mouthing off to the ref in the semi-final, which cost England 10 metres and gave South Africa three crucial points, the shot clock fiasco against Samoa, the yellow card he escaped for his deliberate knock-on late versus Fiji, and regular booing of him at stadiums.
However, Farrell remains very unappreciated. Yes, England’s kicking approach was ugly – the skipper was himself responsible for 44 kicks in play – but he finished as the tournament’s top points scorer with 75, not bad considering he sat out his team’s first two matches through suspension. That made him England’s all-time record points scorer and with the team finishing in third spot, that is a big success given the mess they were in August.
George Ford – 6.5
3 starts, 3 runs as sub, 1 unused sub (262 mins): The hero of opening night in Marseille with his 10-minute drop-goal hat-trick, the failed 10/12/13 tactic of Ford, Farrell and Tuilagi against Samoa meant he was squeezed out of the knockout stages, being unused against Fiji and getting a paltry two minutes against South Africa.
Had plenty of fans insisting he was the better No10 pick than Farrell but Borthwick didn’t agree. Still, his 46 kicks in play across the finals gained England 1,315 metres.
Indispensable ?#RWC2023 | #GameChangers | @Capgemini pic.twitter.com/3CsRTNvAxf
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 30, 2023
SCRUM-HALF (3)
Alex Mitchell – 7
5 starts (297 mins): The emblem of England’s kick-first policy, making a tournament chart-topping 64 kicks in play. The 1,523 metres made was the fourth-highest player tally at the finals but it came at a cost – England fans loudly booed their team in Nice after one kick too many versus Japan, and the overused tactic meant we saw little or nothing or Mitchell’s club level ability to sniff a gap for a break.
The finals, though, were overall a triumph for him as he didn’t even make the official end-of-June training squad, Jack van Poortvliet’s injury needed to unlock that door.
Danny Care – 6.5
1 start, 5 runs as sub (161 mins): Every week he stated that it was the biggest game of his career and he finished with fond memories of that crucial late try and tackle against Samoa, as well as making the passes to Owen Farrell for drop goals against Fiji and South Africa. The thing is, there must be a nagging regret that he didn’t better challenge Mitchell for the No9 shirt, instead settling for a role off the bench.
Ben Youngs – 4
1 start, 2 runs as sub (102 mins): The England men’s record caps holder had a lovely Test rugby retirement send-off with a start in last week’s bronze final, but the tournament otherwise bypassed him as he was clear third choice in his position.
LOOSEHEAD (3)
Ellis Genge – 5.5
4 starts, 2 runs as sub (268 mins): Tweeted “Write us off now, all the best” before the tournament after England’s troubled results and he was spot on, the team getting its act together to log 5Ws in succession. As for his own form, the loosehead wasn’t on top of his game and it culminated in being dropped to the bench for the semi-final. Then when he came on, he was at fault for that scrum penalty that gave South Africa their win.
Joe Marler – 6.5
2 starts, 4 runs as sub (208 mins): As befits his character, we had the jokey and the more serious Marler at these finals. His headed try assist for Lawes versus Japan was suitably bizarre, while his performance against the Springboks was so splendid that a criticism of Borthwick is he perhaps took him off too early. The second most quotable England interviewee at France 2023, behind Ben Earl and just ahead of Care and Chessum.
Bevan Rodd – 4.5
1 start, 1 run as sub (84 mins): Didn’t at all challenge Genge and Marler for selection as his appearances came versus Chile and off the bench in the bronze final, but the 23-year-old grabbed the bonus point try against the Chileans and surely had enough of a background taste to make sure he jumps up the pecking order when veteran Marler does step away.
England a-head thanks to a header from Joe Marler ? #RWC2023 | #ENGvJPN | #rugby pic.twitter.com/it6QWIsViC
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 17, 2023
HOOKERS (3)
Jamie George – 8
5 starts, 1 run as sub (413 mins): In this era of clearing the bench, it was surreal seeing George play three full 80 minutes in succession against Samoa, Fiji and South Africa as Borthwick rated him indispensable. Finished with an 85 per cent success rate at the lineout, putting in 55 tackles as well – including a chart-topping 15 when England had just 14 players for 77 minutes in their opener against Argentina.
Theo Dan – 6.5
2 starts, 2 runs as sub, 3 unused subs (121 mins): Borthwick was very much a coach of the stick to your Plan A, otherwise he would surely have used Dan more rather than leave him an unused sub for three games in a row. Unlike George, he has a canny ball-carrying ability so is a different style hooker.
Look at his directness in the lead-up to the Earl try last week. There was also that wonderful reaction to a slipped-off tackle that cost England a score, charging down a kick after the restart to score himself.
Jack Walker – 2
1 run as sub (26 mins): Was there very much just to make up the training ground numbers, his only appearance coming against Chile.
TIGHTHEAD (3)
Dan Cole – 8
4 starts, 1 run as sub (245 mins): His campaign was quite the inspiring comeback story given how woefully 2019 finished up with the dismantled scrum and then years in the Test wilderness. Brilliant against Argentina on the first day, he didn’t play again for 29 days but was on it against Fiji and South Africa. Another substitution versus the Springboks that can be questioned as happening too early.
Kyle Sinckler – 5.5
2 starts, 3 runs as sub (181 mins): An injury hampered him in August and he wasn’t able to accelerate quickly enough to find his best form and retake the starting shirt from Cole.
Will Stuart – 4.5
1 start, 3 runs as sub (134 mins): Similar to Walker at hooker and Rood at loosehead, he travelled as a third-choice and was unable to alter that packing order.
SECOND ROW (4)
Maro Itoje – 8.5
6 starts (480 mins): Played a full half-dozen matches and eventually played like the Maro of the 2017 Lions, coming so close to being a winner versus the Springboks.
Had plenty of stats to crunch: 62 tackles, five turnovers won, 22 lineout takes and hitting 163 attacking rucks, third-best behind the chart-topping Marcos Kremer on 189. And yet the question must be asked why England collectively still had the worst average ruck speed of 4.72 seconds out of all the 20 teams.
Ollie Chessum – 7.5
5 starts, 2 runs as sub (407 mins): The youngster can hold his head high, hitting 118 attacking rucks, making 53 tackles and producing a lovely run-in to score against Samoa, but not starting against South Africa was a tough lesson in the mould of Steward getting excluded versus Fiji.
George Martin – 6.5
2 starts, 4 runs as sub (202 mins): Looked set to be just a bit-part player whose contribution would be restricted to replacement runs until a surprise selection to start against the Springboks was followed by a top-notch second row performance. With Lawes now retired, though, expect him to challenge to become the new England No6 once he overcomes his injury.
David Ribbans – 3
1 start, 1 run as sub (90 mins): Another whose best work would have happened on the training ground, as team selection was beyond him. Now off to Toulon, so that’s it for his limited Test career.
Tackling machines ?#RWC2023 | #Gamechangers | @Capgemini pic.twitter.com/C8WUYntEpf
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 30, 2023
BACK ROW (7)
Ben Earl – 9
6 starts, 1 run as sub (493 mins): A revelation given where he was last spring, ejected from the Six Nations squad and realising he wasn’t fit enough at the time to play Test rugby. Departed France 2023 as the fifth busiest player in terms of minutes played – only four Argentines had more.
There was a wealth of other stats as well: His 64 carries were fifth best behind Ardie Savea’s chart-topping 82, 80 tackles was second best overall behind Kremer’s 91 while there were also seven linebreaks and 25 defenders beaten. His transformation is a lesson to those stuck on the fringes to take an honest look in the mirror and effect the necessary change.
Courtney Lawes – 8.5
5 starts (353 mins): Played the captain’s part to a tee in the opening two matches, being defensively excellent versus Argentina with Curry sent-off and then having the instinct to play on and score from Marler’s header against Japan at a time when England were threatening to lose.
Was also pivotal in edging his team past Fiji and was immense in his final Test game before retirement, that epic against the South Africans. What a career!
Tom Curry – 7
5 starts (270 mins): Would have ranked higher if September wasn’t wiped out by that red card and suspension. Came back to lead England’s defence, making 58 tackles and his tally of nine dominant tackles was only bettered by Siya Kolisi and Damien de Allende on 10.
Ended the tournament, unfortunately, on the receiving end of some horrendous online abuse due to his allegation that Bongi Mbonambi had used discriminatory language towards him.
Lewis Ludlam – 5.5
2 starts, 2 runs as sub (149 mins): Was like the Duracell Bunny off the bench against Argentina the first day, making 11 tackles in his short few minutes on the pitch, but struggled on his start against Japan and then faded from the selection.
Billy Vunipola – 2
1 start, 4 runs as sub (119 mins): Borthwick claimed in August he had never seen Vunipola as fit but that wasn’t what transpired in France once cleared of the suspension that left him unavailable for the opener.
His ball-carrying was ineffective, culminating in the game-ending knock-on versus South Africa, and he generally just didn’t seem to fit into what was happening. Look at his positioning when he replaced Curry against the Springboks and England conceded immediately from that lineout play.
Jack Willis – 4
1 start (80 mins): Played well in his sole start against Chile after being way down the September pecking order, but his tournament was then ended by a short-term neck injury. He won’t feature in 2024 as he is now ineligible with his Toulouse exemption expired.
Sam Underhill – 6.5
1 start (80 mins): Immense work rate in making 24 tackles in the bronze final, igniting questions as to whether the mid-tournament call-up for Willis might have been a better knockout stage bench option than Vunipola. Would surely have rated higher if he secured more appearances.
Truth is if Cole and marler could have stayed on against s africa we would not have lost farrell played a great game against s africa
Farrell and Cole 8 for basic one dimensional skills and contributions. No wonder we're so far behind the top four. So on these scores higher than 4th in the 6N then. Lol 3r place in rwc because of the draw. But D+ for development and inspiration. Changes needed for the 6N or low crowds and booing will continue.
I like Billy Vunipola, but your rating is way too generous.
Ah. The customary early vote of confidence in the England coach before he gets bombed 24 months out from the WC?
Some rather high ratings there too. Quite extraordinary.
I think the most fair way to rate Farrell is like this:
On most of the field: 8/10
In opposing red zone: 2/10
He's very good on the parts of the pitch where kicking the ball is a good idea.