When Australia stormed back to secure a come-from-behind victory at Twickenham last November, it was a real poignant moment that England’s defense was in serious trouble.
New Zealand have already stormed the walls to secure their third successive win over coach Steve Borthwick’s side on the opening weekend of the autumn internationals. Then came South Africa, scoring four tries in a 29-20 win in south-west London that threw the hosts’ Autumn Nations Series campaign into disarray.
The destruction of Japan the following weekend did little to resolve the rift. England were in a hole and one of their biggest problems was poor defence. Joe El Abd, who was quickly appointed as defense coach to replace Felix Jones, was powerless to stem the tide as the national team scored 14 tries in four games.
He and Borthwick appear to have reached the logical conclusion that something needed to change. So the common sense outcome would be that the air raid system is scrapped ahead of the Six Nations. After Jones decided he no longer wanted to play for England, it became clear that the risks were too great and the rewards not enough to continue.
El-Abd was appointed by the RFU at the end of September, initially on a job-sharing basis, so he can continue as manager of French club Oyonnax until the end of this season. Asked last October about his short-term prospects for the job, he talked about taking over the baton from his respected predecessor.
“We are a team that likes to get off the line, and getting off the line is “offensive,” said El-Abd. El-Abd is the team that boasts the better defensive record in the division, although the Oyonnax team is struggling in the French second tier. . ‘It’s not a term we use, but we want to put pressure on the opposition. That won’t change.
England endured a difficult autumn campaign while using a blitz defensive system.
England were in a hole and one of their biggest problems was poor defence.
Joe El-Abd replaced Felix Jones as defense coach in September after a shock start.
‘The DNA of English rugby is tough and pushing boundaries. We’re going to take what was really good and build on it. We’ll take what’s working and see where we can improve on it.’
Unfortunately, this proved to be an impossible task in the time available. Jones abruptly resigned in August amid claims that he was ‘dissatisfied with unstable working conditions’. Shocked to lose another key member of his staff after fitness expert Aled Walters defected to Ireland, Borthwick and the RFU announced his sudden resignation, leaving Jones to fill a telemetry role and fixing a 12-month notice period. I did it. In December.
The Irishman established the ultra-aggressive attack he favored during his successful spell with the Springboks as part of their World Cup wins in 2019 and 2023. England became increasingly active and effective in monitoring Jones. The All Blacks restricted themselves to just four tries in the two Tests in New Zealand last July, coming close to winning both.
His risk-and-reward philosophy is in line with that of former Boks manager Jacques Nienaber, who moved to Leinster after the World Cup and spoke of a gradual process involving some pain in executing the blitz.
‘Switching into defense with this kind of line speed is the opposite of what they are known for,’ he said of a Leinster team accustomed to a more passive drift system. ‘Players need to rewire their brains and put them to work before any major wrinkles are ironed out.
‘It will take about 14 weeks. It took 14 weeks for Munster (when he was provincially) and 14 games for the Boks when we took over in 2018. In 2018, we won 50% of our Test matches and lost most of them, but in 2019 we only lost one. So it takes time.’
England put in the minutes, but their defensive development was hampered by coaching upheaval. In November, under El-Abd, they appeared divided and uncertain. There was a lack of absolute, collective confidence that was evident in the later stages of Jones’ reign.
After a terrible campaign, former World Cup-winning England lock Ben Kay has called for a change of direction. He said: ‘Abandon the offensive. I have no problem with them trying it, but I don’t think it will work. We need to move on, especially now that we don’t have Felix Jones.
Jones suddenly resigns due to claims of ‘dissatisfaction with unstable working environment’
The ultra-aggressive attack was key to South Africa’s 2019 and 2023 World Cup wins.
‘We all know they’ve brought in a new coach and that’s not his bread and butter. Coaching specific defensive systems. Therefore, even in terms of the players’ sincerity, Felix Jones advocated this type of defense. Now we have someone who is new to this type of defense that the players know. So it’s harder to sell this to the players.’
Not many teams go toe-to-toe. Exeter were one of the English clubs favoring the system and experienced center Henry Slade made a quick return to the national team for the start of the autumn program after recovering from surgery. Although his performance may have been lacking, there was a perception that he would coordinate the offense from an outside-center position with great defensive influence.
But soon after Slade entered the England national team camp in late October, his club sacked Omar Munaime, the defensive coach who had overseen the adoption of the air strike. Explaining the decision after a string of league defeats, Chiefs’ director of rugby Rob Baxter said: ‘I felt we needed to go in a new direction defensively.’
England have now followed Exeter’s lead. As Mail Sport revealed this week, they are grappling with the issue as the Devon club’s wing sensation Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is expected to undergo surgery on a dislocated shoulder in the Six Nations.
The 22-year-old flyer is another recent member of Borthwick’s side, comfortable with the raid as it was consistent with the way he was expected to defend every week at domestic level.
When Feyi-Waboso was forced off during the defeat against Australia, Ollie Sleightholme replaced him and appeared less confident in his defensive duties. Exposed to the dexterity of the Wallabies’ new cross-cord sensation, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii tipped, flipped and flicked a pass around England’s backline. This has to do with the fact that Sleightholme are accustomed to a different defensive model than the title-winning Saints.
In the Premier League, Northampton run a ‘linked’ system where they patiently hold their lines with good spacing to absorb attacks. Gloucester used to defend like that too, but there has been a change recently. Teams such as Sale, Leicester and Premiership leaders Bath are thought to favor a line rate system that is a step below offensive aggression but is still very active.
Experts have told Mail Sport that England’s adjustment from an air-attack to a line-speed system could be effective within a limited period as it would be more familiar to more players. Essentially, this involves moving from an out-to-in swarm towards the attacking ball player (which can leave wide inviting spaces if not executed perfectly) and moving forward in a unified, quick fashion, but more flat and square. When formed, to maintain a wide presence.
Borthwick and El-Abd decided to suspend their offensive ahead of the crucial Six Nations campaign.
Experts believe the new line speed system could be effective for tournaments.
There will still be offensive pressure to get the upper hand on your opponent before they complete too many passes. And there will still be an intention to get high on the ‘edge’ to appear in the line of sight of attackers looking to disperse outwards. But there won’t be the same out-to-in surges that can be devastatingly effective or leave defenses exposed. Think back to the Twickenham turf last November when Wallaby wing Max Jorgensen’s plunge down the left in the 84th minute gave Australia a late win.
Another factor in policy change is conformity. England were frequently eliminated in the final quarter of last year’s Tests. They led five times with over 60 minutes to play and still lost.
And Kay said this after the fall competition: ‘I think England have had a strong performance in the first three games. If you look at where their performance was at its peak, it was in the first 20 minutes.’
An initial bid to bring in Phil Morrow as their new performance director in a work-sharing deal with Saracens failed. Other clubs rejected the plan based on fears of a conflict of interest. Borthwick addressed fitness issues following England’s loss to the Boks. . ‘We looked at the condition of the players at the start of this series and they were not at the level required for Test match rugby,’ he said.
But the consensus verdict was that the air raids were unduly sagging British energy. Therefore, it is expected that the national team will be able to finish the game stronger through changes in the defensive format.
A year ago in Girona, Spain, where England were holding a warm-weather camp, there was a big focus on defense as Jones tried to lay the foundations for his blitz revolution. Now, with El-Abd presiding over a course change, it is again set to be a priority area. But Richard Wigglesworth will need significant field time to work on a revamped attacking shape amid the injury losses of starting full-back George Furbank and wing Feyi-Waboso. If England do proceed with two Smiths – Finn at number 10 and full-back Marcus – they will need training time to form a playmaking alliance.
So England have a lot of work to do with and without the ball. Borthwick will also recognize that set-pieces and aerial plays, restarts, how his team get high-kicked and chased down, is not the time to overlook while officials clamp down on ‘escort’ runners.
There is a lot to adapt to and not a lot of time. And after a dismal comeback in 2024 of seven defeats in 12 games, the pressure is mounting as they enter a fierce Championship campaign, starting with a trip to Ireland and at home to France. Changes in plans must be made quickly.
