If we’re being realistic, England’s job this autumn has been made a lot harder by the number of injuries Stuart Lancaster has had to contend with.
That said, the squad is good enough to beat South Africa even with all the players that are absent and Stuart is right to ask for an improvement in performance.
Ireland have proven that the Springboks can be beaten, and England just have to go out there, have no fear of the result, and put in a performance in each position.
Chris Robshaw might not be the most popular captain England have ever had, but the consistency he brings to the side is vital.
The Harlequins flanker has not changed as a player since his career started and his team-mates know exactly what to expect from him.
He has never been the stand-out performer in terms of tries, but he’s a solid grafter, he puts in the work and he leads by example.
There has been a call for a specialist No7, in the mould of Steffon Armitage, but there is only one and that’s Steffon. All of the others are very much similar to Chris, and Stuart’s got no out-and-out tacklers or guys who are hard over the ball.
We don’t produce that type of player in England because of how we referee the game, and we are certainly behind in that we need that out-and-out No7.
“@EnglandRugby: @parkes98 @LewisMoody7 this one?! pic.twitter.com/5cR11cS3Nn”good memories
— Lewis Moody (@LewisMoody7) November 10, 2014
Steffon and Neil Back are probably the only two that we’ve produced in the last 20 years.
It would certainly be nice to have someone that puts some real pressure on the breakdown and turns some ball over. That’s something we don’t see a great deal of with England.
And, I think Stuart knows that the only way to create the best competition in his squad is to have Steffon in it, to push Chris all the way, and also to add a different dynamic if he’s on the bench.
However, South Africa don’t necessarily have a ball-stealing seven yet they compete with the best teams ion the planet and have won two World Cups.
What we do produce is hard-running, hard grafting back-row players.
Hopefully they will get the right support from the stands as the abuse of the match officials last Saturday was completely unacceptable.
Rugby is intrinsically a brutal sport fought very aggressively on the pitch, and in its history fans have always appreciated and respected its core values.
I think respect needs to be paid to the officials and players. They don’t always get it right just as the players don’t always get it right but Nigel Owens for me is one of the best referees in the world.
The way he manages games and deals with players, makes rugby enjoyable to watch and to play. Having been refereed by him I particularly enjoy the way he referees.
The players go out there and give it everything. It would be nice if the crowd give the team their absolute support in the right manner – and create a fortress Twickenham.
