Here’s an idea. Eddie Jones should have a word with the scoreboard operators at Twickenham, to request that this evening’s game begins with ‘England 0 South Africa 20’ up on the big screens.
Maybe that would be the jolt to the system that his side need, to play with freedom from the outset. They could explain it away as a technical glitch, rather than a tactical ploy designed to ignite the slow-burning hosts early in their autumn finale against the world champions.
England have to prove against the Springboks that they can find their cutting edge without having to be backed into a corner first. They have to start this match well, in order to end this year well. The national team need a victory to do slightly better than just breaking even for 2022.
England have produced their best rugby in recent times when backed into a corner
Another defeat would leave them with an annual return of five wins, a draw and six defeats from 12 Tests. Even the glass-half-full RFU hierarchy would not be toasting those numbers.
It took England until they were staring into the abyss last weekend before they truly came alive. Trailing 25-6 going into the final 10 minutes against the dominant All Blacks, they summoned a three-try revival to level the scores and bring the house down. But they are well aware that they should not require a crisis to launch them to the heights.
They will need to be at their best from the start against World Champions South Africa
‘There is an element of that,’ said Jonny May, when asked about the thorny issue. ‘A sense that when the chips are down, all bets are off almost. For some reason it’s easier to throw the kitchen sink in that scenario. There’s a focus that comes on you because the game’s almost gone or you have one more shot at it. It almost liberates you.
‘We’ve always been a team who want to start fast. Why has it not been there this campaign? It’s never as simple as one reason. Discipline is something that we have highlighted.’
England captain Owen Farrell was also quick to emphasise that it is not a formality to just pick up where they left off in a riotous climax to the last fixture.
The Boks are not cut from the same cloth as the All Blacks, so the home team will need to work out how to solve a new puzzle.
Jonny May said England have ‘always been a team who want to start fast’
‘Every game is different,’ said the Saracens playmaker. ‘Last week I heard, “Why didn’t you just start the game like that?”. Do you not think if we could, we would? Tomorrow’s challenge is completely different. We’ve got to be ready to be for whatever we need to be at whatever time.’
What awaits at Twickenham is a seismic encounter with opponents who are galvanised by a siege mentality linked to the ban given to their divisive director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus.
It is a massive, high-stakes event in its own right, but England’s outlook appears to be more about development targets than a collective desperation to round off the year with a statement victory.
Asked about the importance of returning to their clubs on a high, Farrell said: ‘Performance-wise, definitely. Result-wise, it probably would make it feel better (to win), but in terms of what we’ve done over the past five weeks, that’s not changed.’ Forwards coach Richard Cockerill added: ‘We want to win, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t.’
Forwards coach Richard Cockerill admitted the result was not the most important thing
The hordes who will fill the national stadium at no little expense will hope that there is an altogether more demanding message behind the scenes, about the bottom-line priority.
England must develop a winning habit as well as an effective, multi-layered gameplan. Beating the dangerous Boks again would be some vindication of the transition phase.
For many of the English players on duty and for their head coach, there is a profound significance to facing these foes. It stirs up the ghosts of Yokohama; when South African scrum power meant Farrell and Co were denied the global prize that appeared to be there for the taking.
That was three years ago, but the memories are vivid. ‘I have a 5G vision of it now,’ said Jones. ‘You never forget that moment when you’re standing on the field and you see the opposition getting their gold medals. You hear the crowd going crazy and you’re standing there like a spectator. All the work you’ve done over a long period of time means nothing to you at that moment.
‘That never leaves you and there will always be something in the players who played in that game — you can never change the result but you can change the feeling you have. That’s the opportunity for a number of our players this weekend.’
Eddie Jones recalled England’s loss to South Africa during the World Cup in Japan
Steps have been taken to combat the visitors’ strengths, as Jones has reshuffled his front row and reverted to the policy of fielding a third lineout jumper at blindside flanker. With Mako Vunipola buzzing after his barn-storming cameo last weekend, Jamie George capable of shoring up the set-piece and Ellis Genge primed to explode from the bench, full of simmering energy, England have firepower to negate the feared ‘Bomb Squad’. That’s the theory, anyway.
It goes without saying that they have to hold their own in the aerial exchanges which will be a major feature of the game, and they can’t gift points to the Boks as they did to the All Blacks. And even if the scoreboards can’t be amended for on-field effect, another slow start will be costly.
England can win this, but that appeared to be the case last Saturday too. It really matters now. Fans have patiently tolerated the painful rebuilding process in 2022, now they are owed an early Christmas present.
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