Errors and England's Groundhog Day defeats keep stacking up

Jack van Poortvliet has been present before.

Two years ago, arsenic England's scrum-half huddled up nether the posts, his look flashed up connected Twickenham's large screens.

New Zealand flanker Dalton Papali'i had conscionable picked disconnected his walk and cantered successful to springiness New Zealand a seven-point caput start.

This clip astir it was a kick. Eben Etzebeth, looming similar a skyscraper, had charged down Van Poortvliet to springiness South Africa a freebie effort and puncture England's promising start.

It volition person felt similar each his fault. It wasn't.

England's forwards near him unprotected and vulnerable. Marcus Smith, his fly-half, had his ain accidental to wide and likewise recovered a South African torso.

And, ultimately, the errors added up.

For each England's unquestionable courageousness and energy, they person continually been undermined by mistakes this autumn. The foundations of a promising squad ever look to beryllium subsiding nether their ain slip-ups.

They person travel successful each antithetic matches, successful each antithetic guises, from each areas of the team.

Against New Zealand, the crossed wires and fumbled drop-goal regular betwixt Harry Randall and George Ford was astir obvious.

Against Australia, England's nonaccomplishment to unafraid a kick-off – Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii disrupting Maro Itoje – connected the past play was key. But truthful was a botched midfield determination that gave Andrew Kellaway a walk-in.

Against South Africa, Ben Earl missed a captious tackle connected Damian de Allende, earlier England's faint hopes of crowbarring their mode to a comeback were dashed by Luke Cowan-Dickie's twitchy line-out propulsion and Itoje picking, not going and being caught astatine the backmost of a promising breakdown.

Those are idiosyncratic moments, possibly the astir glaring ones. But you could prime plentifulness more.

After 3 consecutive location defeats for the archetypal clip since 2006, the spotlight surely shouldn't radiance connected Van Poortvliet alone.

It indispensable besides widen to the sidelines to instrumentality successful selections and systems.

Van Poortvliet's inclusion was the latest scrum-half shuffle successful the lack of the injured Alex Mitchell. Ben Spencer went from archetypal prime to 3rd drawstring successful the abstraction of a week. Randall, who started the bulk of England's games successful the 2022 Six Nations, does not look trusted to bash truthful now.

Stepping backmost successful to commencement against the satellite champions, aft much than a twelvemonth retired of the Test rugby, was truthful the agelong asked of Van Poortvliet.

The midfield operation of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade – which seemed 1 of the astir settled parts of England's broadside earlier the autumn – hasn't mustered overmuch punch implicit the past 3 games.

Tactically, England were acceptable up to exploit their tallness vantage connected the wing. On the turf, it ne'er worked retired that way. Instead the scorching gait and side-stepping brilliance of Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse was decisive.

More generally, England came up abbreviated successful the last 4th erstwhile more. Playing against 14 for fractional of it, they failed to people a azygous point.

Across 2024, they person conceded 30 much points than they person scored aft the hr mark.

Whether it is fitness, deficiency of tactical finesse oregon a shortage of seat strength, the slice is real.

In attack, Plan A was to thin heavy and hopefully connected Marcus Smith to nutrient a infinitesimal of magic. It doesn't look to advancement overmuch further done the alphabet.

And successful defence, they person conceded an mean of 32 points a crippled truthful acold this autumn, letting successful 12 tries successful 3 matches.

When it comes to sorting these problems small is made easier by an situation that chews done coaches astatine an alarming rate.

England needed to beryllium spotless to marque up a chasm successful people and signifier connected South Africa. In Paris, successful past year's Rugby World Cup semi-final, they precise astir were.

On Saturday though, the blemishes were evident and plentiful - and this autumn they look to beryllium mounting in, alternatively than shifting.

A atrocious time successful the bureau seems to person go the standard.

Against a ragged Japan, adjacent an error-strewn England should beryllium bully enough. They saw disconnected the Brave Blossoms by 35 points successful the summer. Whatever caput games and wrong accusation Eddie Jones has is improbable to halt a repetition decision for Japan.

One triumph would beryllium scant instrumentality from an autumn that promised much however. And each the time, the Six Nations, renewed rivalries with the bluish hemisphere's champion and fears England are conscionable not arsenic bully arsenic we thought, lurk similar Etzebeth astir a breakdown.