by Steve Borthwick’s problem is that gradual rebuilding, those labeled as evolution rather than revolution, still needs time. And, after taking up the job of England head coach 14 months ago, he inherited a support base weary of pleas for patience. The silver lining of Scotland’s fourth successive win, at least, is that fans will be happier with more drastic changes.
England’s performance was not without encouraging elements, even if some of those brighter spots were more apparent after the hosts took hold of the game. Indeed, part of Borthwick’s bench has given him a mandate to speed up the developments – intellectually and in terms of selection – that the team has always needed after the last World Cup.
About seven minutes into the second half, after Duhan van der Merwe’s third try, Ben Spencer and George Martin were the first to be introduced. The latter, who came on for Ethan Roots, was making his first Test appearance since the World Cup semi-final against South Africa. Martin is a great presence. Incidentally, he screamed locked in alongside Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum moving to the blindside.
Spencer was a Premier League half-back and is known for his accurate kicking. Danny Care’s display was marked by mistakes. One strike, although England were leading 10-0 in the first half, was skewed throughout and pressure was applied just as the visitors were determined to be. Hindsight makes us all experts, but Borthwick must consider promoting Spencer to the starting line-up and keeping Care in his trademark role as an impact substitute following Alex Mitchell’s injury.
As it was, one of Spencer’s first actions was to lift an inch-perfect kickbox. Tommy Freeman turned it and it went up over Van der Merwe. Ben Earl snaffled the ricochet and fed Martin, who cut 15 meters into the opposition 22. With that boost, England earned a penalty and the gap was reduced to 24-16.
Still 22, Martin has scope for maturity. However, his most significant error was caused by a collective event. England were inexplicably sluggish as they retreated for the next restart. As ever, Russell was alert and ahead of the game. He rushed to the halfway line and hit a kick that singled out Martin in the backfield. A fumble surrendered possession, and momentum, immediately.
Borthwick lost his remaining six substitutes on the field between the 57th and 68th minutes. It was a mistake, and quite unusual, that England spent as long as 12 minutes, that’s the time Theo Dan was playing for Jamie George, with a completely reformed team. Chandler Cunningham-South, a diamond in the rough with raw talent and significant physical assets, defended strongly and diligently. At one point, he drove Ewan Ashman and two other Scotland goals behind. Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey showed the value of stopping power and post-back threat throughout the evening. Cunningham-South has huge potential.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso made the most brilliant cameo of all. When he arrived, England’s backline was completely overhauled. Spencer and Fin Smith were the halfbacks, with Ollie Lawrence and Freeman in midfield. Elliot Daly and George Furbank remained at left wing and full back, respectively, with Feyi-Waboso on the right. There were whispers of how the 21-year-old had excelled in training and Feyi-Waboso immediately translated those efforts.
With England now 30-16 behind, Scotland missed a restart due to their achievement. A handful of steps later, Feyi-Waboso wound around a ruck, took a pass from Spencer and darted between Cameron Redpath and Blair Kinghorn. He had wandered from the right wing to the other 15-metre channel to open his account as the try scorer of the test match.
Other moments highlighted Feyi-Waboso’s credentials for further involvement against Ireland and France. Ben Healy’s high ball was well caught and he pounced to win another Spencer box kick. In the 75th minute, Russell tried to turn Feyi-Waboso with a cross-field strike. Van der Merwe was lowering, but Feyi-Waboso read the situation well. He threw and took the kick on the full and showed off his rare acceleration with a punchy counter. Later still, Feyi-Waboso was off the wing and gaining ground. As part of a strike play, he ghosted Fin Smith’s shoulder and got out 10 meters through two tackles.
Afterwards, while reiterating that he wants them to be England internationals “for a long time”, Borthwick revealed that some of his representatives had not “played a lot of Premiership rugby either”. Feyi-Waboso is the greenest by this measure, with just 12 league appearances for Exeter Chiefs since his debut in the competition last season. And yet, he was bold enough to set his sights on the Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield which was slipping away from England.
Spencer and Smith delayed some rucks in the final quarter, with their side nine points down. This was clearly a team directive. Spencer and Russell move the ball to Bath when they need to. Time in the saddle is crucial for halfbacks. Sometimes, you have to rip off the band-aid and pick them up.
As he did at the World Cup, Borthwick has used experienced players as safety blankets so far these Six Nations. Even if he is staring down the barrel of another three-loss campaign, his Ireland and France team should be looking to the future more clearly. Starting with Feyi-Waboso seems a reasonable way to illustrate this policy.
