A newly named stadium but that same old result of late for England to kick off their autumn campaign means they head into their latest showdown with Australia in need of a morale-boosting victory.
This is a team who are somehow finding a way to snatch defeats from the jaws of victory. Against the All Blacks they looked dumbstruck as the final whistle blew after, from a position of ascendancy, they had collapsed in the dying minutes.
Much has been made of the removal of Marcus Smith for George Ford, with even some declaring that ‘without doubt’ Marcus would have knocked over the final-second drop goal attempt. Utter rubbish – how can anyone say without doubt?
That is not how life nor sport works. Doubt itself is why sport dominates our airwaves and screens on a weekend. It is the doubt, the hope and the jeopardy that drives us to devour it.
George’s missed kicks have occupied the minds of many and with hindsight there is always the right answer. However, to put on a 97-cap player, one renowned for game management and control, is not a daft decision in a Test match, lest we forget, that England defended brilliantly in but did not really attack well. Goal-kicks and an interception try were all the fruit from their labours.
When playing New Zealand, it is never the right decision to pull up the drawbridge and stop looking for options in attack.
It is not, however, absurd for Steve Borthwick to bring on a man with the experience of George. It may be argued changing the front row with 30 minutes to go had a larger impact on the overall result. Either way, and no matter what has been said and written. England as a whole still cannot find that special potion to win these tight games.
In the last three meetings with the All Blacks, England could and arguably should have won. When that turns from being a slight issue to that of a full-blown mental block is hard to establish.
In the early 2000s, Martin Johnson’s England struggled to clamber over the line in successive Six Nations until 2003. England seem to have a history of flirting with success.
They must now turn their guns towards Australia, a team who themselves have been struggling for form and identity over the last two years. They are full of individual talent but lack that collective cohesion to cause those larger nations serious worries.
That said, there will be a small drop of belief in their camp this week.
England are reeling from a huge emotional dump from last weekend’s result and are searching for that killer touch too. Australia will sense that. Coached by the highly knowledgeable Joe Schmidt and a former England lock in Geoff Parling, there will be a strong targeted and tactically aware approach to England on Saturday.
England are favourites and rightly so, both on previous form and the quality of players within the team.
Borthwick as a coach wants to control the tempo and manner of the game. Keep it tight, stay on script and feed off the mistakes of the opposition.
But on a weekend when their fans will be watching for a response from this team, it may not be enough to sit and wait. This time, England need to take control.
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