England's scrum is no longer a weakness, but a weapon! After a resounding victory over New Zealand, captain Maro Itoje couldn't contain his excitement, hailing the team's vastly improved scrum as a key element in their success. This marks a significant turnaround, and the numbers speak for themselves. England's recent 33-19 win against the All Blacks was only their ninth victory in history against this formidable opponent. Furthermore, it was their first win at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham since 2012!
While the lineout faced some pressure, the English scrum dominated much of the match. They earned two crucial penalties in the second half, even pushing the All Blacks backward over their own ball at the 60-minute mark. Even with a seven-man scrum against a full New Zealand forward pack after Ben Earl's sin binning, they held strong, demonstrating the remarkable progress made in the last year.
Head coach Steve Borthwick made a strategic move by keeping the British and Irish Lions front row of Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Will Stuart on the bench. However, the starting trio of Fin Baxter, Jamie George, and Joe Heyes laid a solid foundation before their arrival.
Itoje emphasized the transformation: "Our scrum's a weapon. We genuinely believe that our scrum's a weapon. I think over the last year, we've been showing that and it's been growing." He recalled how, when Borthwick first took over at the end of 2022, the scrum's performance was far below the standards expected of an English team.
The improvement is credited to the hard work of scrum coach Tom Harrison, along with the dedication of the front row, back row, and back five. Itoje believes this area can become an even greater asset, crucial for winning games and test matches. Harrison's coaching expertise, honed at Leicester Tigers, has clearly paid off.
But here's where it gets interesting: the prop position seemed problematic at the end of the 2023 World Cup. With Mako Vunipola, Joe Marler, and Dan Cole retiring from international duty, and Kyle Sinckler unavailable, the emergence of Baxter, Heyes, and Stuart has been a welcome development. Furthermore, young talents like Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Afolabi Fasogbon are pushing for their spots. Borthwick is pleased with the depth he now has in this area.
Borthwick stated, "The England scrum has been strong for a period and has been developing well. I think Tom’s a fantastic coach and has been developing there." He also highlighted the competitive nature of the squad, mentioning players like Theo Dan who are not yet in the 23.
A controversial point: Could this newfound scrum dominance be the key to England's future success? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
In other news, Ollie Chessum has been ruled out of the upcoming game against Argentina due to a foot injury sustained in the win over Fiji.
