England return to action against the All Blacks on Saturday, with Australia, South Africa and Japan to follow.
i examines the biggest issues facing Steve Borthwick’s side and what they still have to prove this autumn.
Results
The clichéd phrase “England are in must-win territory against New Zealand on Saturday” is opening its inviting arms, but what does it mean?
In the last year and a bit, Borthwick’s team have lost a World Cup semi-final to South Africa by a point, beaten the world’s number-one ranked side and Six Nations champions Ireland at Twickenham (or Allianz Stadium now, if you prefer – does anyone?), and lost away to Scotland, France and New Zealand, twice.
Throw in the narrow wins over Wales and Italy and it adds up to an “okay” set of results – not disastrous, not prompting talk of sacking the boss, not undermining all faith in Borthwick’s mantra of “clarity and continuity”.
Along the way, there has been the task of replacing stalwarts in Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, the Vunipola brothers, Ben Youngs and Danny Care, plus excellent occasionals including Joe Marchant, Lewis Ludlam and Dave Ribbans, who left for French clubs or retired from Tests.
In the here and now, though, it is imperative for England to beat New Zealand, in the first of four home matches in the Autumn Nations Series. Close defeats do not win Grand Slams and World Cups, and this England team, which is essentially the same one Borthwick has used all year, needs to show it can close big matches out.
Their talk of missing opportunities to create history in Dunedin and Auckland in July was valid, but ultimately empty.
There is no trophy for this series (there will be from 2026 when it morphs into the Nations Championship), but it is high-profile and significant. In Budget week, a crowd paying up to £220 a seat needs bang for its buck, with tickets for the following week’s visit of Australia still on sale a few days ago.
The Borthwick project now extends beyond a style of play and fan-friendly faces, and into a new way of managing players. There have been “enhanced” contracts for the core group and supposedly greater cooperation on welfare between clubs and country.
If England lose to New Zealand, there will be doubts about the system, selection, the turnover of coaching staff, and about Borthwick’s ability to get an important result over the line. So, yes, “must-win” feels apt.
Ambition
Fly-half Marcus Smith has said England’s aim for the autumn is to break into the world’s top four, which feels a lukewarm ambition, although it means nudging out one or more of Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and France.
i was in conversation with Ben Earl last week, and the No.8 emphatically posted “four wins out of four” on the November wishlist.
The hyper-hype days of Eddie Jones are long gone: the chat about being number one in the world and – remember this? – England playing rugby for the world to remember them by. But the red rose must stand for something greater than mediocrity. England need a team who are confident and capable enough to think big.
Patterns
It’s always fine to tailor some of the game plan to the opposition, but England need a reliable defence system and a confidence-giving solidity in the driving maul and scrum and line-out. There were green shoots of snazzier attack seen in this year’s Six Nations.
Will they stick with the blitz defence, now defence coach Felix Jones has been replaced by Joe El-Abd? We are about to find out.
The blitz’s risk and reward is fascinating, giving the team a sharp edge to get people talking and the opposition thinking.
Scrum-half
In the absence of the injured Alex Mitchell, what is the plan for the other three No 9s in the squad?
Borthwick does not need to pick the same 15 (or 23 including bench) for every match, especially with the weak Japan to come at the end of the series. But with the long run to the 2027 World Cup under way, it would be good to find out which of Ben Spencer, Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet is best equipped to get there.
Set-piece and discipline
Every top team needs a bit of dog, and fans love to see it, but it’s a fine margin between that and bad decisions.
We know we will see snarl from George Martin, Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje and Tom Curry, but against good opposition they also need to cut out the calamitous penalties in bad areas of the field and at bad times of the match.
Overall, penalties in single figures per match would be a useful target. The absence of the rampaging lock/flanker Ollie Chessum, also injured, is a blow.
Walk the walk of the talk
This writer was all in on Marcus Smith as England’s fly-half at least two years ago, but with Farrell and George Ford around, the Harlequin has never had a long run. On Saturday he makes his fourth straight start at No 10, while Ford’s excellent game management is available from the bench.
Smith’s defence has improved out of sight, and if he can maintain a laser focus with his running and kicking from hand, he is England’s best game-breaking playmaker by a mile.
And yet it always feels as if he is one duff Test from being dropped. The New Zealand match is a golden chance for a positive performance from Smith to go hand in hand with a famous win.
Other positions
If first-choice England falter this autumn, with world champions South Africa looming as maybe the toughest opposition on the third weekend, all sorts of names could be touted for the Japan game, while a load of up-and-coming players will be seen in an A-team fixture with an Australia XV at The Stoop on 17 November.
Right now, it’s time for Bath’s Will Stuart to quell the worries at tighthead prop, with Joe Heyes dropped and Trevor Davison’s good moments in training in Spain not enough yet to usurp the uber-experienced Dan Cole.
The midfield of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade has been pinpointed for its defensive quality, but can they unleash the back three of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank?