England great slams ‘foolish’ Steve Borthwick for ‘parking the bus’ in All Blacks loss
England head coach Steve Borthwick and fly-half Marcus Smith before All Blacks clash, and ex-player Will Greenwood.
Former centre Will Greenwood has laid into head coach Steve Borthwick for bringing off Marcus Smith when England were in command against the All Blacks.
The 25-year-old had enjoyed a fine game at Twickenham on Saturday, kicking 17 points as they went into the final quarter 22-14 ahead.
Smith also set up the try for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso with a fine break following an intercept, which meant that his withdrawal was a surprising one.
He was replaced by George Ford for the final 18 minutes but it turned into a bit of a disaster for the experienced playmaker.
Ford’s errors
Firstly, Ford missed the tackle on Mark Tele’a in the build up to the wing’s second try before he was awry with two late kicks as New Zealand claimed a 24-22 victory.
Greenwood was frustrated, writing in his Telegraph column: “Letting that lead slip, at home, with the way the game had gone, was nigh-on unforgivable.”
The defeat also continued a theme for England, who have suffered a number of close losses in 2024, three of those against the All Blacks.
“Closing out matches has turned from a thorn in England’s side to a chronic illness. And, at the heart of the second-half collapse, the replacements of head coach Steve Borthwick were in the spotlight,” Greenwood wrote.
“Marcus Smith was six from six off the tee, with 17 points to his name, when the fly-half was replaced by Ford in the 62nd minute.
“This is Ford who has not played a minute of rugby since Sept 28, when he limped off with a thigh injury in the sixth minute of Sale’s loss at Saracens.
“Ford is a fine player but he was rusty – he missed a tackle for the late try by Mark Tele’a, missed a late penalty and a drop-goal – and Smith was running the show.
“Replacing a 17-point fly-half seemed foolish at the time and as Ford skewed his potential match-winner it was proven to be so.
“The switch looked pre-planned and not in any way reactive to what had happened during the match. To quote Kung Fu Panda, one often meets their destiny on the path they take to avoid it.”
Closing out the game
Greenwood also felt that England’s approach was all wrong after Ford came onto the field. The Red Rose great insisted that Borthwick’s men were predictable when the fly-half replaced Smith, which resulted in their downfall.
“Ford’s introduction signalled a parking of the bus from England. Naively, Borthwick’s side believed that they could sit on an eight-point lead against New Zealand,” he added.
“These All Blacks might not yet be world beaters but this is a nation which, no matter what side it puts out, will always have the x-factor and firepower to overturn an eight-point deficit.
“England, who barely created a try-scoring opportunity all match, had to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and trouble New Zealand with ball in hand.
“Instead, Ford’s arrival ignited a sense of predictability and hyperbolic pragmatism within England. There is nothing wrong with kicking – I am all for it, in fact – but there has to be an element of deception to it.
“As soon as Ford arrived, whenever England had possession the entire team set up in a kick-chase formation. New Zealand lapped it up and eventually the pressure told.”
