England team v Australia: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick backs ‘underwhelming’ halfbacks while standout star is a ‘victim’ of tactical switch
England players George Ford, Ben Curry and Theo Dan during the Autumn Nations Series.
Following the announcement of Steve Borthwick’s England team to face Australia in the Autumn Nations Series, we select our winners and losers.
The England boss has kept changes to a minimum following his side’s heartbreaking 22-24 defeat to the All Blacks last weekend but has notably made a positional switch in his backline.
Borthwick has also made two changes to his replacements, shifting away from the forward-heavy 6-2 split for the more traditional 5-3.
We unpack the England matchday 23 by picking out our winners and losers.
Winners
Ben Spencer
Just reward for a standout first start for his country as Ben Spencer retains the number nine jersey for another week. England were always going to be poorer without the services of the excellent Alex Mitchell but Spencer rose to the occasion against the All Blacks and produced a strong performance that has led to another week in the driving seat along with Marcus Smith.
The drop-off from Mitchell to Spencer was a far cry from what many predicted and the Bath man will be eager to replicate that performance against the Wallabies.
The 32-year-old has an excellent kicking game which can really put Australia under pressure as England look to finally end their three-game losing streak.
George Ford
One off day is not enough to see George Ford drop out of the matchday 23 as Borthwick backs the experienced playmaker to bounce back from the disappointment against the All Blacks to get England over the line against the Wallabies.
Ford has proven pedigree at international level as he closes in on 100 Test matches and last week was the outlier in his ability to produce in the clutch moments. There is no two ways about it, it was a mare, but getting the backing of the coaching staff a week later will do his confidence a load of good.
Ultimately, Borthwick would not have been slammed for changing tack and giving Fin Smith a shot off the bench against the Wallabies, who frankly provide a far less imposing challenge than the All Blacks but, with the Springboks coming up next, continuity is key.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie makes his long-awaited return to the England team on Saturday after being named on the bench to tackle Australia.
The 31-year-old was a regular fixture in the England side under Eddie Jones before his career was hampered by injuries, but he will be out to put those setbacks behind him against the Wallabies.
An accurate lineout thrower and a strong scrummager, Cowan-Dickie will bolster England’s efforts in the final quarter of the Test match, where they have struggled this year.
Ollie Sleightholme
The beneficiary of Borthwick’s decision to revert to the more traditional 5-3 split, Ollie Sleightholme has been hugely impressive for club and country this year and deservedly gets his recall.
He will add serious pace and power to the backs in the latter stages of the game and give Borthwick the option of changing the picture that they are showing the Wallabies as Tommy Freeman could slip into the centres when Sleightholme is added to the frame.
England’s defensive structures ask a lot from their wingers and adding Sleightholme to the bench means that Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso can give their all for an hour with the insurance of the Saints star on the bench.
Ollie Lawrence
Surprisingly, Borthwick has switched his centres around this week with Henry Slade moving to inside centre and Ollie Lawrence lining up outside of him.
It’s an interesting ploy from the England boss to make that change public rather than just keeping the pair as is on the teamsheet and switching their responsibilities, but perhaps that’s part of the plan to keep the Wallabies guessing.
Still, it is a boost for Lawrence, who now starts in arguably his best position or at least the one that he has been most destructive for Bath. His pace and power in the wider channels will cause the Wallabies all kinds of problems but in defence, it will be key for him to execute as Slade did against the All Blacks.
Harry Randall
Like Ford, Harry Randall did not produce his best off the bench against New Zealand but is retained in his role for another week. The Bristol Bears scrum-half can add a serious injection of pace and excitement in the final quarter of the Test but that was not evident in England’s Autumn Nations Series opener.
He usually has a rather accurate and swift pass but that was not the case when it mattered most as he floated an awful pill to Ford for what would have been a match-winning drop goal. Still, he gets the opportunity to right last week’s wrongs.
Dan Cole
Dan Cole has built a reputation as an expert scrummager but, against New Zealand, he was taught a lesson or two by Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who clearly got the better of the England tighthead.
Eventually, Borthwick is going to have to look beyond Cole, who is now 37, but it won’t be this week as the veteran gets another shot off the bench.
Losers
Jack van Poortvliet
Jack van Poortvliet will have to wait at least another week to mark his return to international rugby after his World Cup dreams were shattered through injury before the tournament.
At the time, he was a regular fixture in the England team but hasn’t been able to force his way back up the pecking order just yet. After Randall’s showing last week, he would have fancied his chances but it was not to be for the Tigers man.
Ben Curry
The victim of Borthwick’s decision to revert to a 5-3 split and Ben Curry can feel rather hard done by as he was one of the better performers off the bench against the All Blacks.
The England boss has opted for Alex Dombrandt to cover the back-row positions off the bench, an understandable call as he will more than likely take over the ball-carrying duties off Chandler Cunningham-South in the last quarter, but Curry did little wrong to deserve being dropped.
Theo Dan
Outside of a gaffe at the back of a maul that resulted in a turnover for the All Blacks, Theo Dan also did little to deserve being dropped from the matchday 23. The Saracens man has gotten more minutes off the bench in recent games but now makes way for Cowan-Dickie with England possibly looking for a more experienced and powerful scrummaging effort in the second half.
Sam Underhill
After starting all of England’s matches in the Six Nations and the July internationals, Sam Underhill has now been snubbed for the team’s opening two Tests this November. He is the victim of England’s depth in the back-row department as one cannot argue Cunningham-South’s, Ben Earl’s and Tom Curry’s inclusions.
Fin Smith
As mentioned above, on this year’s form guide, the Wallabies provide a far less imposing challenge than the All Blacks and perhaps this was the game to give Fin Smith another crack off the bench. He has been excellent for Northampton Saints and has rarely let England down when given the chance.
After Ford’s underwhelming shift, few would have blamed Borthwick for giving Smith a go.
Trevor Davison
Australia provide arguably the best opportunity for Borthwick to test Trevor Davison on the big stage as the Wallabies don’t have the most dominant set of front-rowers but they are certainly wily.
Giving Davison the nod this week would have allowed Cole to rest up for the Springboks but, if the Saints prop did make the most of his chance, then he would be much better prepared for a shot at the world champions.
However, that is not the case as the England boss looks for in-game improvements from his replacement front-rowers.
