Lawrence Dallaglio column: England need to show their ruthless streak and get the tries flowing once again
very single England player still has a point to prove at this World Cup.
Games like tomorrow’s clash against a team ranked 22nd in the world are not that difficult to navigate in any situation for a team like England. Add in the fact that England are still trying to prove their full ability and find their attacking groove, then this should not be a tough match to negotiate.
A much-changed team will see players making their first appearances and looking to impress Steve Borthwick.
This match is a test of England’s discipline: do the basics correctly and everything else will follow. England must be ruthless. That is a streak that has been missing in Borthwick’s men.
Put bluntly, tries should come without England having to work too hard. It would be great, therefore, if England can start finishing off some of those chances. When any team starts to do that, then the confidence and the attacking flow comes flooding back.
The accuracy has to ramp up now. Dropped passes and too many errors have punctuated their first two wins. England must sharpen up, on both sides of the ball. Borthwick’s men should be looking to shut out Chile on the try-scoring front. Defensive understanding will be key in the knockout stages.
It should not matter which players are in the team, it is a squad discipline element.
England will need to create their own intensity. In the biggest games it is there naturally, but England may have to spoon-feed themselves the right amount of adrenaline for this match.
There is no one in that squad that will not have played some rugby after tomorrow, and that is a real positive. Who knows how far they will go? But it is always nice to get that feeling that you have been involved on the field.
Marcus Smith (below) might be making his first competitive start at full-back, but that cannot be considered a gamble against a team like Chile. Selecting a player in a completely new position at a World Cup is highly unusual, however.
Rugby does not allow for huge swathes of quick ball these days, but by playing Smith at full-back there will be chances to counter-attack.
I understand the experiment, but I am pretty sure it is not a starting selection for a quarter- or a semi-final.
Billy Vunipola is a big selection, as the No8 needs a potent showing after injury and suspension. Taking only one recognised No8 to a World Cup is a gamble. There is no point, however, in taking him and not selecting him, so I see Billy very much the No8 moving forward for the rest of the tournament unless he doesn’t perform.
