With Bayonne on a week off in the Top 14, Manu Tuilagi was at Twickenham on Saturday to watch England’s victory over New Zealand and earn a few quid on the corporate circuit. “Do you miss being out there?” he was asked. Tuilagi enjoyed two landmark days against the All Blacks, when England beat them at home in 2012 and in the World Cup semi-final in 2019. Now 34, Tuilagi held up his drink and cracked a joke about being quite happy where he was, thank you very much.
Almost all of England’s best performances over the course of a decade or more came with Tuilagi as the midfield spearhead. Graham Rowntree, England’s former forwards coach, once joked that Mike Catt’s job running the attack was easy. The game plan, he said, was just, “Give it to Manu.” Without Tuilagi, England have struggled to find the right blend in their midfield combination.
Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, persisted for a long time with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade, which should have worked on paper, but they lacked chemistry. Lawrence was shoehorned in as a power runner at inside centre, with Slade brought back to run the blitz defence that became the core of England’s identity after the 2023 World Cup. There were signs against the All Blacks that England have struck upon the right formula by reuniting two former under-20 team-mates.
Lawrence, 26, is now at outside centre, which allows him to express his full range of skills as an attacking threat: his physicality, footwork and handling skills. All three were to the fore against the All Blacks. Alongside him was Fraser Dingwall, also 26, who enjoyed a statement performance of his own.
It was Dingwall’s seventh cap but the first time he felt like he properly belonged in an England jersey; a confidence that translated into his performance, having been instilled in him by Lee Blackett, the new attack coach whose imprint on this team has been rapid.
On the summer tour to Argentina and the United States, England scored 13 tries in three Tests. With a young team marshalled by the fly half, George Ford, there was a zip and sharpness to England’s attack. Seb Atkinson emerged as a long-term option at inside centre with his powerful carries, huge engine and nice hands; only to be ruled out of the autumn series.
Although England have not quite replicated the clinical rugby of the summer throughout this November campaign, there was a step up on Saturday. England were below their average for entries into the opposition 22, but above average in their conversion rate. They scored four tries and 33 points, their most against the All Blacks since Tuilagi ran riot in 2012.
Blackett sees his ability to instil confidence in players as one of the hallmarks of his coaching
BOB BRADFORD – CAMERASPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES
Blackett had challenged England to score one try from a strike play and they created two. Lawrence scored the first from a scrum and then supplied the assist for Dingwall to run in England’s third try as they launched from a lineout.
“The great thing about Lee since he’s come in, he’s made us really aggressive with our strike attack,” Ford, 32, said. “It’s to go and score. It’s never to set up. You want to have options to go and break the line straight away. It makes a big difference. He’s amazing at detail and thinking a little bit differently outside the box. Little intricacies which make a big difference at times.”
Blackett once heard James Haskell, a former player of his at Wasps, say that his greatest quality as a coach was instilling confidence in players. It was not something Blackett, 42, had really considered until he heard Haskell talk about it. Now he sees it as a hallmark of his coaching.
“I want players running out confident,” he said. “I want players running out there going, ‘This coach backs me, if I see something, he backs me.’ ”
For Dingwall’s try, he and Lawrence switched roles. It was a decision the centres made between them after spotting the opportunity at a previous lineout. Lawrence attracted two defenders and slipped a late ball to Dingwall.
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“George called the play but the option that we actually played within that, so the tip pass, was the two of us working that out,” Dingwall said. “He played right at the line and I skated through untouched.
“We want people to play with an attitude of showing themselves, intent. Lee complements that really nicely. His last message to us as a back line was that he didn’t want us to sit back and feel like we had missed opportunities. We had intent to go after them with our attack.”
Dingwall is a facilitator in this England team; a steady, unfussy support for Ford at fly half and a foil for Lawrence, who appears to be locked in mentally since he returned to action from the ruptured achilles that cost him a place on the British & Irish Lions tour.
“I just feel lucky I’m able to play alongside someone as talented as that,” Dingwall said. “He can do some unbelievable things. What I know about Ollie is that he wants to be one of the greatest centres in the world and he’s got the capability to do that.
Dingwall and Lawrence, both 26, have a long history, having played together for England Under-20
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“Look at the way he recovered from his rehab. His mind is clearly in a great spot if he’s come back a few months early. He was pushing on every single facility to get what he could out of it. He’s in a great spot mentally and you’re seeing some great performances because of it.
“Centre partnerships always take a little bit of time to develop and you work out how you can complement each other. Fortunately we’ve known each other for a long time.”
England do not have great depth in their midfield. Tommy Freeman is being developed as a potential option at outside centre. Slade’s international days appear over. Those of Harlequins’ Oscar Beard have barely begun.
Atkinson, 23, will compete with Dingwall for the No12 jersey in the Six Nations. Behind them, Max Ojomoh, 25, impressed in Bath’s title-winning campaign and Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 22, is a work in progress at Sale Sharks, but the physical centre is on England’s radar.
Then, of course, there is the long-shot prospect that Herbie Farnworth, the England rugby league star, might just choose to switch codes. The 25-year-old is widely considered an ideal inside-centre candidate. Owen Farrell is also around, although Borthwick wants to develop Fin Smith into a playmaker who can wear No10 or No12.
That need to evolve could result in changes for England’s game against Argentina on Sunday. Lawrence was replaced right at the end of the All Blacks game, raising concerns over his readiness to tackle the Pumas, who are fresh from a stunning comeback win against Scotland.
“The best way to prove to yourself that you’re building is winning games and this is a great example of what we can achieve when we get the right intent, the right accuracy, tactically we’re on point. It can really fuel the group to kick on to more,” Dingwall said. “We’re playing against a quality Argentina side. It’s a proper Test. The group is going to turn up with the same attitude to get better.”
Tuilagi can watch on contentedly that England may just be working out how to enjoy life without him.