Steve Borthwick has a huge task on his hand with England (The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
England came off the Twickenham turf having responded resoundingly to adversity. Faced with being down to 12 men and their captain sent off on Saturday, they reacted by scoring via a driving maul and reining back Wales’ two-score advantage.
Written down it sounds impressive, that there was a huge examination from a strong Wales side and the England players stood up to what was a test of character and ability.
However, that is just not the case. For the majority of the game the Twickenham crowd was quiet and the players on the surface trundled along showing very little in terms of game plan and creativity.
It was without doubt another tough, dogged display from England, but in terms of spark and performance level Steve Borthwick’s men looked bereft of imagination.
It was not until George Ford came onto the field that a rudderless England side seemed to bounce back into existence.
That is not to say England did not show glimpses of what they are capable of but they were too often snuffed out by Wales or by their own inaccuracy.
The frustration is England have the quality, they have the players, the off-field set-up and some of the brightest minds in English coaching, but it is not translating to the field at the moment.
The key example was the final two minutes of the game when, having pulled themselves out of the hole they had dug, there was no direction, and certainly no clear thinking.
All teams work on closing the game out, especially as the World cup looms. When games become tight and nerves jangle, players need to know how to act, what the plan is and the system of how to take away hope from the opposition.
But as the clock wound down on Saturday, England looked lost, as pass after pass was thrown out of rucks to unexpecting receivers, it was an insight into where this side currently is.
The new coaching team have had precious little time with this group in comparison to other nations. Although World Cup camps are arduous, physically taxing and full of learning, it flies by. For head coach Borthwick and his team it will have felt very quick.
Owen Farrell’s red card added to England’s problems (Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images)
So, England still looked undercooked and a little unaware of their surroundings. Even with what looked like a more substantial team – and closer to their World Cup side – they stuttered all afternoon.
There is no doubting this squad’s quality in terms of personnel.
Flick through the teamsheet and it is loaded with European champions and individuals that have often been mentioned as world-class players.
The issue England have is those world-class players are not quite there at present. Those key personnel have not become bad players overnight, in fact if you watch them at their domestic clubs performance levels are strong. But the presence of new combinations, new coaches and the pressure to perform in an unsettled England side all seem to be a factor.
George Ford was a rare bright spark against Wales (Picture: Shutterstock)
Without a doubt, England have to improve, that goes without saying – a national team that has everything in terms of budget, resources and players should not be ranked sixth in the world.
The solution seems to need more than those raw ingredients. England need a kick-start; who and what it is seems to be the hardest part, but whatever it is England must find it soon.
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Don’t be fooled by 12-man England’s win over Wales.
