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8 hours ago
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Opportunity knocks for Chandler Cunningham-South against Fiji on Saturday. He has 18 caps to his name but this will be the first time he has worn the No 8 jersey for his country and he has the chance to demonstrate to Steve Borthwick that he can offer something different in a back row brimming with talent.
Borthwick’s decision to omit Tom Willis from his squad on the grounds he is heading to France has meant there is an opening because, for all the quality options England have in the back row, there is a concentration of openside flankers and far fewer players who offer genuine size and power. Cunningham-South offers both in abundance.
He burst on to the scene a couple of years ago and caught the eye because of his raw power. When we talk about some of his performances for England, however, there is an emphasis on the word “raw”. He is the sort of player who lights up highlights reels but it has taken him a while to add the nuts and bolts to his game. He has more regularly been deployed at blindside flanker and he has shown his adaptability by covering the second-row but physically he is perfectly suited to playing at No 8. On Saturday, Cunningham-South has the chance to prove to Borthwick and the rest of the coaching staff that he can do the simple things, execute all the basics that are expected of him and then add the big moments to those foundations.
Tom Roebuck and his performance against the Wallabies is the perfect example for Chandler to follow. Roebuck didn’t do the sexy things that you may expect from wingers against Australia but he chased hard, competed in the air and England reaped the rewards as a result.
The fact that Cunningham-South gets his chance against Fiji is all the more fascinating because the Pacific Islanders have some remarkable quality in the back row themselves. He comes up directly against Bill Mata and, given the Fijian back-rowers’ propensity to produce big moments, the pitfall for Cunningham-South is to try to fight fire with fire and lose sight of doing the simple things. Should he succeed, however, and produce the kind of performance he did when outshining Willis in Harlequins’ recent victory over Saracens, he can lay down a marker. He is only 22 and while Ben Earl is still the standout candidate when it comes to tight World Cup knockout matches Borthwick will want to know he has a powerful option at No 8 to win the all-important hard yards.
In many ways, Cunningham-South’s task is similar to that of the rest of his teammates because the most important thing for England to show on Saturday is tactical discipline. That was the hallmark of their victory over a pretty poor Wallabies side last weekend and if they can be similarly disciplined in sticking to the gameplan against Fiji they will run out comfortable winners.
Borthwick has made wholesale changes that demonstrate the confidence around the camp, which can only be instilled through victories. England are on a run of eight on the bounce that allows Borthwick to rotate and continue to build the depth that is becoming such an impressive weapon. Twelve months ago the bench was a genuine problem but that is no longer the case when you have players of the quality of Tom Curry and Henry Pollock among the replacements.
I don’t expect England to deviate a great deal from the gameplan against Australia but it only takes a quick glance at the teamsheet to see that there is a backline set up to run. Borthwick has turned again to the two Smiths as twin playmakers and the centre pairing of Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence is a partnership that could cement itself. In another illustration of the depth that Borthwick is building, Henry Slade has shown some of his best form for years this season but does not seem able to get near the matchday squad.
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With the greatest respect to Fiji, the following week’s fixture against the All Blacks will have been most occupying Borthwick’s mind in the buildup to this campaign and I anticipate that he will make plenty of changes again. It is clear to see the upward trajectory that England are currently on, and facing New Zealand will give Borthwick a sense of exactly where his side are at the moment. The signs are promising with two years to go until the World Cup but for a sense of how far there still is to go it is worth tuning into events in Paris not long after the full-time whistle at Twickenham.
The best of the northern hemisphere entertains the best in the world in a match that has genuine needle. Both teams have a healthy dislike of each other and revenge is on the cards for France following their World Cup quarter-final defeat to South Africa two years ago. It promises to be a blockbuster occasion – nowhere does evening matches better than the Stade de France – between the international game’s two leading lights at the moment. England are playing catch-up but will hope to finish their autumn campaign with the gap that little bit closer.
