England high-energy gameplan leaves them vulnerable

There was a moment in Ireland’s win over England that can’t be overlooked.

Midway through the first half, with England seven points up but stretched, Marcus Smith killed the ball illegally.

Referee Ben O’Keefe showed him yellow, leaving England facing 10 minutes with only 14 men and no fly-half away to the Six Nations champions.

England defended superbly, however. For nine and a half minutes and 30 seconds, they kept Ireland at bay. Smith was poised on the sidelines, ready to come back on. And then, as the fatigue built up by that rearguard effort told, England faltered.

James Lowe and England scrum-half Alex Mitchell faced off wide. He did the right thing, using the touchline and not over-committing, which would allow Lowe to step him. Mitchell attempted to get his hands on Lowe, but the defensive move was so sluggish that Mitchell was unable to elude the Ireland wing’s pull.

Instead, Lowe broke free, fed Jamison Gibson-Park and Ireland were back within two points.

It might have been a different game had Smith returned and extended England’s seven-point lead with no compromise. A bigger half-time lead would have boosted England’s confidence. Ireland might have got tighter.

In the second half, Ireland quickly pushed itself away from England, scoring 22 points without reply.

England has faded in the second half not once. It was a result of New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa’s autumn defeats. There are two things about it, in my opinion.

Firstly, their gameplan is very demanding. Perhaps too demanding.

In defence, they come up with a lot of line speed, phase after phase. Then in attack, they are focusing on moving the ball, involving forwards and backs. It can feel frenetic and frantic, burning through energy. It is certainly hugely ambitious. In the end, I believe that the back end of games makes the game pay.

There needs to be someone who calms down the team and, occasionally, takes pace out of the match. They are currently glued to this all-action plan A, which is effective but difficult to maintain over the course of 80 minutes without a bench capable of doing the same thing as the starting team did.

Although Ireland were ahead in the second half, there was a stoppage, during which England’s players were seated in ones and twos and engaged in conversation rather than huddled up and working out with their teammates until they could be returned to Ireland.

Every team faces those situations, and the captain and the half-backs must equally help to bring everyone together to form a plan and get everyone on the same page.

As I alluded to, the second part of England’s tendency to peter out of games is what should be part of the solution – the replacements.

Otherwise, England’s replacements didn’t do enough to alter the flow of the game. Instead of acting as a coordinated force to alter outdated tactics, they came on and played as a series of cameos.

Ireland’s replacements were different. Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw – these are all high-level, experienced operators.

By the time they had arrived on the field, Ireland had demonstrated their adaptability and strength.

England’s back row of Ben Earl, Tom Curry and Ben Curry posed a significant jackal threat, spreading across the width of the pitch, meaning one was always on hand to disrupt the breakdown.

Chandler Cunningham-South came off the bench and, while he is a powerful athlete, he couldn’t get into the match. After receiving a penalty for an airborne Hugo Keenan, Lowe was able to canter through and score Ireland’s third try.

If Borthwick chooses to play against Cunningham-South in the matchday squad when facing France, I have liked what I have seen of Ted Hill playing for Bath this season.

However, the ability to step up and seize a moment when the stage is the biggest is something that modern coaches don’t often look for.

An illustration of this can be found in Dan Luger from the past. He played well for the Harlequins and Saracens, but he moved up to a different level in an England shirt.

One of the current players who appears to possess that ability is Ollie Chessum, but many of England’s squad members are struggling to resurrect their club form while playing for their country.

England is facing a significant challenge when France visits Twickenham next. The spirit and enthusiasm from the opening half helped me keep the starting XV grounded during this defeat.

Switching Marcus Smith to full-back would put England’s most reliable game-breaker too far from the action. In the backfield, Ireland also had a good time peppering him with high balls. France would undoubtedly follow suit.

Because of how much positivity was maintained in those 40 minutes, England must reflect on the first half.