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Marcus Smith burnished his reputation but some of his England colleagues appear to have gone backwards
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England’s year finished with a thrashing of Eddie Jones’ Japan to end a five-match losing run but doubts over Steve Borthwick’s future as head coach will continue into the 2025 Six Nations.
Telegraph Sport looks at which players come out of the Autumn Nations Series with credit and who struggled to make an impact.
Ellis GengeScrummaging is a lot more solid these days, but far less prominent as a ball-carrier. Also seems to be targeted in the defensive line. 6/10
Fin BaxterCould not quite carry over the momentum he established from the New Zealand tour. Possibly suffering from the equivalent of the tricky second album syndrome. 5/10
Jamie GeorgeWas doing 80 minutes at the World Cup. Now lucky to do 50. Captaincy debate aside, he keeps proving his worth with his line-out work and volume of tackles. 6/10
3️⃣ Tries for @EnglandRugby and the third provided by captain Jamie George!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/U8LW07aODc
Luke Cowan-DickieSome really impactful moments as a replacement. Unfortunately the most prominent was the dummy throw that cost England crucial field position against the Springboks. 6/10
Theo DanThere’s a definite spark when he comes off the bench in terms of his ball-carrying but England’s set-piece does creak with him on the field. 5/10
Dan ColeLike a Clint Eastwood Western character he keeps postponing retirement for ‘one last job’. England’s scrum did wobble when he came on, but Borthwick will be desperate for him to stick around. 5/10
Will StuartLow key one of England’s best performers. Biggest compliment, aside from the peach of a pass against Japan, is that England’s scrum seems steadier with him on the field. 7/10
Asher Opoku-FordjourNonchalantly swaggered to his first scrum where he brought the heat. Going to be a huge player in the coming years. 6/10
Maro ItojeFinished the campaign in credit despite an off day against South Africa. Expect a massive Six Nations from him with the Lions coming around. 7/10
George MartinCame in this campaign with minimal game time and it showed as he looked to be struggling to last the pace. Uncharacteristically made a few too many missed tackles. 5/10
Nick IsiekweMade very little impression coming on as a replacement aside from one stolen lineout against Japan. A decent performer in the Premiership but England need more dynamism. 5/10
Tom CurryShould never have been on the pitch against Japan after being knocked unconscious against Australia. Strong showing against New Zealand. 6/10
Chandler Cunningham-SouthStrong impression that he is an impact replacement still trying to become a starter. Two tries against Australia and put in some big shots but England really missed Ollie Chessum’s work-rate. 6/10
Sam UnderhillProbably England’s player of the year, which made it all the more curious that he was not in the matchday squad for the first two games. Responded with two tries in two games. 7/10
Ben EarlWork rate is off the charts, but made two crucial mistakes in his no arms tackle against New Zealand and missed tackle on De Allende which caused him two nights of no sleep. 6/10
Alex DombrandtFeels a clear area of upgrade for the Six Nations. Made little impression coming off the bench with his static carry and poor ball presentation leading to George Ford’s skewed drop goal. 5/10
Ben CurryOne of the very few replacements who came on and made a positive impression, winning a turnover against New Zealand. Wasn’t seen again. Go figure. 6/10
Ben SpencerYou cannot help but sympathise that he still has not won a game in an England shirt. His struggles at the base of the ruck were symptomatic of the team’s slow adaptation to the change in laws. 6/10
Jack van PoortvlietStill regrowing his confidence.The chargedowns by Etzebeth are significant black marks but otherwise his box kicking was generally on the money. 6/10
Harry RandallAnother replacement who struggled to stamp his mark on the game. Quick service but kicking is not quite as accurate as the other scrum halves. 6/10
Marcus SmithAll of England’s best moments came as a result of Smith. Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth needs to mesh his individual improvisation with backline fluency 8/10
George FordThe missed drop goal was unfortunate and certainly not all his fault so did not deserve to be booed the following week when the crowd thought he was replacing Smith. Will come again. 5/10
Fin SmithPlayed beautifully in his one cameo with the fairly big proviso that it was against Japan. Rivalry with his namesake will last for years to come. 6/10
Henry SladeSome exquisite touches but never truly grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. How many times has that been written of Slade? Also appeared to be involved in several defensive doglegs. 5/10
Ollie LawrenceExperienced feast and famine. Carrying just twice against New Zealand before being more involved against Australia and South Africa, not always that effectively. 6/10
Tommy FreemanAs his astonishing behind the back pass showed there is a brilliant rugby player in there, if only England figured out how to use him more than like a spaniel chasing high balls. 7/10
Ollie SleightholmeJust a natural finisher. Took his tries brilliantly and already seems to have an instant understanding with Marcus Smith. However really struggled with his place in the defensive system. 6/10
👏 Top class finish from Ollie Sleightholme!🏴 @EnglandRugby assert the dominance once again#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/9jexZIYsYe
Immanuel Feyi-WabosoEngland’s brightest attacking spark in their outside backs until concussion ended his autumn against Australia. Will be short odds to make the plane for the Lions. 7/10
Tom RoebuckGood things tended to happen in the short time he was on the pitch. Very similar to Freeman in terms of skillset. 6/10
George FurbankShowed glimpses against Japan of what England hope his playmaking partnership with Marcus Smith should look like. In common with others made a couple of poor defensive reads. 6/10
🤏 That’s only a little bit special!! 🤥🏴 @EnglandRugby winger Tommy Freeman with a touch of class to get George Furbank over the line!#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvJAP pic.twitter.com/tQJmhtNHD1
Freddie StewardBrought in as England’s bomb disposal expert against South Africa and fulfilled his brief after a slightly shaky start. Stood little chance as the last line of defence against Williams and Kolbe. 6/10
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