England’s second last position on the final Guinness Six Nations log summed up just how much their bubble burst in a campaign from which they expected so much. Still, their near miss against France in Paris will give them belief that they can win against the Springboks in Johannesburg.
Maro Itoje’s team will come to Ellis Park for their first-ever Nations Cup fixture on 4 July, playing to prevent a fifth defeat in a row after Thomas Ramos, the French fullback, broke their hearts by kicking a last-gasp penalty to clinch the Six Nations title for the home team at the Stade de France on Saturday.
It wasn’t of course England who would have profited in terms of silverware had it not been for their late-game madness that presented France with the possession that they used to play themselves into the position where a penalty gave them a chance of winning amid scenes of unbearable tension.
That was Ireland, who would have been watching on tenterhooks from Dublin, with England giving them hope by going for broke in a game where the shackles were off and in which, between them, the two teams scored 13 tries, who missed out when Ramos kicked his Championship-winning penalty.
THEY LOST OUT, BUT IRELAND GAINED PLENTY
And on reflection, given that France shipped an unbelievable 14 tries and 96 points across their last two games against Scotland and England, it may well be Ireland who ended up ultimately gaining the most out of an enthralling and unpredictable Six Nations season. That is said with reference to their low expectations at the start following the mauling at the hands of South Africa at the AVIVA Stadium last November, something that appeared to be confirmed when they were thumped by France in Paris in the opening round.
France certainly looked the part of the northern hemisphere team most likely to challenge the Boks for global supremacy in the first three weeks of the competition. But since the solitary bye weekend, Fabien Galthie’s team have faltered and look vulnerable. Ireland, by contrast, got some of their cattle back after the Paris blip, also their attacking and physical mojo, something that was to the fore in their big win over England in London and then in the potential decider against a Scotland team that was always going to struggle to back up the brilliance of their 50-pointer against the French.
Of course the Boks should feel they gained a lot out of the Six Nations without even playing in it, in the sense that France’s impressive evolution has been at least temporarily challenged, and England’s mouthy pretence to be the nearest challengers to the Boks after their 12-match unbeaten run was unceremoniously and embarrassingly exploded.
WALES AND SCOTLAND IMPROVED, BUT ENGLAND ARE BOK FOCUS
With Scotland and Wales also due to come to South Africa for Nations Cup matches in July, with games in Pretoria and Durban respectively, the Boks would have noted the improvements made by both teams. Wales are a long way from being a real threat to the top sides, but their good win over Italy, though not unexpected given Italy would have felt they’d played in a final when they scored their historic win over England seven days earlier, proved that under Steve Tandy they are at last heading in the right direction.
Yet it will be England that will be most occupying the attention of Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, particularly as the French and Irish challenges in the Nations Cup only come in November, and he may consider how they played once the shackles were off as a reality check for his own team. Unlike the earlier games they lost in the Six Nations, England were the underdogs against France, they felt they had nothing to lose, and not for the first time that made them more dangerous.
If you disagree with the contention that England are sometimes better when given no chance in a game, think back to the 2023 World Cup semifinal in Paris, where only a clutch penalty from Handre Pollard gave the Boks a win that was largely expected but turned out to be quite lucky given how England dominated the game.
Of course Ellis Park will advantage the Boks a lot more than a neutral venue would, but let’s not forget what happened the last time the national team played there - they conceded 38 unanswered points in the last hour to slip to a shock defeat to Australia.
GEORGE’S COMMENTS LAY DOWN CHALLENGE TO RASSIE’S TEAM
And England being England, which means both players and media can transform them from being mediocre to world beaters on the basis of just one game, they are now coming with some hope of making the statement that the under-pressure Steve Borthwick regime so desperately needs. Witness the post-match comments of England hooker and occasional captain Jamie George after Paris as exhibit A of England’s confidence: “I think there should be a huge amount of excitement leading into the summer. It’s a pretty big test next up. But hopefully a couple of English teams are going to do well in the Champions Cup, finish the season strong, and then we will lead into South Africa, which will be a huge test for us. We haven’t played them in a while. I genuinely can’t wait. I wish it was next week”.
Okay, there were no bold proclamations there, but the message is clear - England have nothing to lose and it is a challenge they are looking forward to. As they showed in Paris, they are dangerous when they feel that way. So the Boks can consider the challenge to have been laid down to them. And Erasmus will also know full well that it would be the English way for them to think they are world champions if they did win in Johannesburg, even though the world rankings will still reflect a very different reality.
Final round Guinness Six Nations results
Ireland 42 Scotland 21
Wales 31 Italy 17
France 48 England 46