For the first time this autumn murmurs of optimism could be heard as the 80,000-strong England faithful made their way from Twickenham on Saturday afternoon.
England lost to New Zealand 19-6 but during an absorbing first half there were signs that New Zealand could be in for a real test. Two Jonny Wilkinson penalties put England ahead, albeit briefly, as England held their own. They went in for the break level at 6-6.
Unfortunately the commitment and hard work that defined England’s first half performance took its toll after the restart. Energy levels began to drop and the All Blacks took advantage.
Dan Carter kicked a penalty just after half time before Jimmy Cowan crossed midway through the second half, after some decent work by the brilliant Richie McCaw, to give New Zealand a crucial advantage. Carter added the extra two points before sealing the win with his fourth successful penalty.
Where do England go from here? They may have lost two out of three games this autumn and only scraped to a win against Argentina but there are definitely suggestions that this team is moving forward.
There have been some good moments amongst all the doom and gloom. The positive first half display against New Zealand was excellent and there have been several standout performers during the autumn.
Seeing Jonny Wilkinson back in an England jersey is terrific and his performance against Australia was, in my opinion, one of his best. In the pack Lewis Moody was England’s standout player in this series. The sheer consistency of his performances has been remarkable and he has put his body on the line for the team week after week.
Next for England it’s the 6 Nations and I’m expecting big things. We have had a turbulent autumn but a great deal of that can be attributed to the monumental injury list. You only have to look at the players coming back in the New Year to realise that England have a great chance of winning the tournament.
The team will need to hit the ground running when Wales arrive at Twickenham on 6th February. The Welsh had a mixed autumn but produced some excellent free-flowing rugby against Argentina that England would do well to match. In recent times we’ve come up short against our Welsh counterparts, and Martin Johnson and his men will be determined to put that right.
The French may well be favourites to take the title but critics should be wary of writing off England’s chances just yet. If it goes down to the wire England face the tricky prospect of a trip to Paris to face a rejuvenated French team in the final match of their campaign.
Winning the Six Nations is never an easy task but England have upset the odds before and I fully expect them to do it again.
