by Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t fit. Fancy a quick guess when England have scored more than 20 points at Murrayfield? Here’s a clue: Hey Ya! with Outkast number one in the UK charts that month, Mark Zuckerberg had just launched Facebook from his student bedroom and Sir Clive Woodward was still head coach. Edinburgh is a beautiful city but it rarely sees the best of England’s attacking game.
Yes, the weather was often shitty. It is true that there has been an occasional good result since 2004, most notably the 20-0 win over Stuart Lancaster in 2014. Even then, however, they conceded just two tries despite being outplayed on the day. Other days proved costly as they managed to keep the scoreboard sliding and it allowed Scotland to ambush them regularly.
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It should come as no surprise, then, that Steve Borthwick wants to change this sticky record. Borthwick is no fool and knows full well that with Finn Russell at 10, Scotland will be well placed to convert a try or two. Which means that England, if they want to remain unbeaten in these Six Nations, will probably have to raise a score beyond anything they have managed in Edinburgh in the past two decades.
And – hey presto – guess what? Freddie Steward departs and in comes George Furbank, the type of contemporary football full-back who could cause England to ask a few more attacking questions of their own. The reliable Warden is brilliant at discouraging high balls and spreading reassurance; the versatile Furbank offers something a little different. And what England need is different if they are to make the best teams stand in this year’s tournament.
Warden probably should have seen it coming Ollie Lawrence was declared fit to offer a bit more thunder. Lawrence adds more of a physical presence in midfield than England have had so far, making a big stopper at the back less necessary. The weather forecast, for a while, also suggests a cold and dry afternoon which could encourage England to move the ball more. “Are we trying to develop our attack and our scoring? Yes, we absolutely do,” confirmed Borthwick. “The last five games against Scotland have been settled by seven points or less. It is important that we continue to find a way to win but at the same time continue to develop our game so that we can score more points quickly.”
This week’s change could have happened earlier in the competition even if Lawrence had not been on the hors de combat and Marcus Smith had not been available to start at 10, as was the original plan. Northampton’s backline has been roaring this winter and the 27-year-old Furbank has been a key figure with his clever running lines, positive distribution and all-round reliability.
He is certainly in a better position to progress than he was on that surprise debut against rampant France in Paris four years ago. As well as adding a few extra kilos in the right places, the flying Saints captain managed to boost his confidence. “I definitely feel like a different player now,” Furbank said. “Steve said he wanted me to bring my game to the England team. I’m trying to be in George Ford’s eyes and ears, get him informed, control the ball in his hand and be aggressive with that side of things.”
And the more you survey this England selection, the more it feels as if the visitors are intent on shaking things up across the board. Ellis Genge will add a little more ball-carrying oomph, Danny Care will buzz around the edge and George Martin should provide more heft from the bench. Likewise, they won’t want to be drawn into a madcap contest that allows Russell even more room to wreak potential havoc.
Equally important, then, will be ensuring that the revitalized ‘blitz’ defense does not go over on a regular basis, with Scotland’s World Cup win against South Africa offering the perfect blueprint. Scotland went to great lengths, amassing only a modest three points in an uncomfortable 80 minutes. The Boks’ Rush defence, led by new England guru Felix Jones, often left Russell with nowhere to go and the Scots’ hopes duly drained.
Five months later there are two crucial differences. The first is that England is not as powerful, strong or settled as South Africa. The second is that Scotland and Russell had time to think of Plan B: using their star player as a decoy at times, targeting the Ford and little Care, enjoying more joy throughout the break .
England, for their part, will still have the lasting score of Genge in Edinburgh four years ago in their minds. The effort they could best recall, however, was Duhan van der Merwe’s scorching effort at Twickenham last year, when far too many English defenders were left sprawled after the winger’s slaloming.
You can imagine Scotland putting that clip up this week, perhaps with Don’t You (Forget about Me) by Simple Minds playing in the background. Once again if England finally find some decent rhythm and ditch the Scottish blues, maybe they’ll pick another 80’s classic. You promised A Miracle, anyone?
