Duhan van der Merwe’s ‘Jonah Lomu Rugby’ try floored Steve Borthwick’s turbo-charged attacking revolution, because England’s defence was more button-bashing desperation than special-move combinations.
The powerhouse wing sped through six would-be tacklers for a try so incredible as to leave Scotland boss Gregor Townsend thinking he was watching a computer game. The 27-year-old Lion’s 60-metre charge had Townsend recalling the classic PlayStation title named after the late, great All Blacks Lomu. For England, Van der Merwe’s marauding long-range finish evoked comparisons with bestselling video game Street Fighter.
England’s defensive showing in Saturday’s 29-23 defeat was infuriatingly controller crushing, undoing the attacking elan that yielded three tries dripping with potential.
Scotland will rightly herald Van der Merwe’s highlights-reel try for time immemorial, especially in sealing a third-straight Calcutta Cup triumph for the first time in 51 years. England will not want to rewatch that video nasty, but it will be unavoidable, especially in the coming review sessions.
Jack van Poortvliet’s overhit box-kick set up the counter, before Van der Merwe set off on his stunning score by bisecting the misaligned centres Owen Farrell and Joe Marchant. The elsewhere impressive Ollie Chessum could not lay a glove on Van der Merwe next, before Freddie Steward and Alex Dombrandt both flailed unimpressively and to no avail. When Max Malins was dismissed, too, Van der Merwe delivered a score for Scotland’s ages.
England’s defensive set-up proved alarmingly porous on new boss Borthwick and right-hand man Kevin Sinfield’s big debut. Scotland scythed England’s line almost at will, notably for Huw Jones’s opener and in both of Van der Merwe’s two scores. Borthwick and Sinfield will surely not allow a repeat; at least, that must be the expectation after a day of promise ended in vain.
Where England were laboured, predictable and confused in attack in the autumn series that cost Eddie Jones his job, Borthwick’s men boasted stunning ruck speed, innovative build-up play and accurate finishing.
Malins was in exile under Jones, rumoured to have been treated poorly by the former England boss before he was jettisoned from the set-up. Here, the Saracens tyro bagged a morale-boosting try double, sliding in to dot down Marcus Smith’s inch-perfect crossfield kick, before capping another fine England move with a good finish.
England’s first try started with a tapped penalty deep in the Scotland 22. A mixture of pace and patience yielded the score, with 15 phases required to unlock the Scots. Kyle Sinckler’s pull-back pass handed Smith the time, as Farrell cut a smart dummy line, and the Harlequins playmaker faked a pass, even to the point of releasing the ball, only to dab a chip to the wing for Malins’s finish.
Malins’s second score came after nine incisive phases, with a key strike move undoing the visitors. Van Poortvliet hit Farrell in midfield, who fired back inside to centre partner Marchant. Van Poorvliet lingered just long enough in Marchant’s running lane to distract the defence, crucially without blocking anyone off. England rucked at speed, moved the ball crisply through the hands right across the field, and Malins went in again.
England deserve big credit for creating an attack in 11 days to outshine anything that happened in the miserable autumn.
Borthwick’s nascent regime warrants serious critique for the rearguard, though. Jones coasted through a non-existent midfield line in the build-up to his try, Ben White sauntered in unopposed off a ruck and Van der Merwe beat Farrell, Smith and Malins with one solitary sidestep for his second score. For all England’s punchy panache in attack, several late decisions to kick undid further strong phase play.
To play well and lose is to invert the hallmark of a good team, but new England are on the right track
This England already look most at ease in building offensive waves. This is a genuinely impressive feat, just 48 days into the new era. The forwards solved some early scrum issues to dominate, while the lineout creaked a little but offered a solid foundation, with enterprise around attacking peels. The constant debate will rage on the Smith-Farrell axis, but for all the talk of an orthodox 12, the pairing worked well in attack.
England’s performance without the ball contains horror-show foibles, but these issues are fixable. To play well and lose is to invert the hallmark of a good team, but new England are on the right track.
