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England’s last two Six Nations games haven’t been good for the heart rate of the country’s rugby supporters. Two one-point wins have certainly had me on the edge of my seat.
As they did against France, England on Saturday night reclaimed the Calcutta Cup by the narrowest of margins. The victory over the French was perhaps lucky given the number of chances Les Bleus wasted. And against Scotland, England were outscored three tries to one.
Boy, did they make it tough for themselves again.
But my glass is firmly half full because, while some might say England have been fortunate in their last two matches, my view is they are really growing as a team.
International rugby is a results business and England have delivered on that front since being beaten by Ireland in Dublin.
I think we’re really set up for an intriguing finale to the Six Nations now. After being given a real fright by Wales, Ireland are still on for the Grand Slam.
England reclaimed the Calcutta Cup by the narrowest of margins but are growing as a team
International rugby is a results business and England have delivered on that front
Finn Russell left his kicking boots at home, and thankfully so for the home supporters
Clearly, their next game at home to France is going to be Championship defining. England will need Fabien Galthie’s side to do them a favour there and if France can do the business, I think England can be in title contention with Italy and then Wales left to play.
England are getting a lot of things right. Despite conceding three tries to Scotland, I thought their defence was very, very good. Last autumn, their blitz approach was all over the place.
Don’t get me wrong, things aren’t perfect. But England look a much more cohesive unit without the ball. They have to now keep on learning and improving. But it is so much easier to do that as a team when you’re winning and England now have back-to-back victories.
When I talk about learning, it’s small moments that may seem insignificant at the time. A good example was in the last throes of the game when Elliot Daly kicked out on the full, allowing Scotland a platform to attack. It was from there that they made the line break where Duhan van der Merwe scored his try. Had Finn Russell converted, Scotland would have won.
Russell left his kicking boots at home, thankfully so for those of an English persuasion.
Better sides won’t make those mistakes. England will be able to get away with making small errors against teams like Scotland and still be able to win. But sides such as South Africa and New Zealand won’t be so generous.
England can also learn a lot from Scotland, particularly in attack. But I thought they were the tougher side overall and deserved to win. I predicted a comfortable England win, so I was getting abuse from Scottish fans at Twickenham which is why I’m delighted the team came out on top.
England can take confidence from the fact their players stood up in key moments. Fin Smith nailed that monster late penalty which ended up being crucial. Maro Itoje made a key line-out steal. There were others throughout the game.
England look a much more cohesive unit without the ball and must keep on learning
Steve Borthwick needs to drive home the message that his side can still improve
Since taking over the captaincy, I think Itoje has been very impressive. He went through a spell with England where he was not at his best, perhaps because of the huge amounts of rugby he plays. But rather than be burdened by the captaincy, he seems to have embraced the responsibility.
Borthwick needs to drive home the message that England can still improve and also play quicker.
Scotland are now in a hole. This is supposed to be a golden generation of Scottish players, but again they have fallen short. Russell is a wonderful player, but when Scotland needed his kicks, he didn’t deliver. That is the brutal truth and something he will acknowledge.
What is fascinating now on the back of Scotland losing back-to-back matches and Wales looking revitalised against Ireland is that the game between those sides looks a really tight one to call.
I don’t think any team would want to play against England with the sense of momentum that is behind them now. The reality is that England should be beating Italy and Wales. Such a scenario will put them in Championship contention. Even if Ireland prove to be too good and win a Grand Slam, England pushing them hard shows signs of real progress.
England are going the right way. And amen to that.
