On a cold night in Hamilton all
forms of English optimism and hope were brutally crushed by a clinical and cut throat
performance from the mighty All Blacks and it was heart wrenching to watch.
For forty minutes England cowered
in the face of a rampant New Zealand side that were devastating and clinical whilst
the men in white were disorganised and overpowered. From 1 to 15 New Zealand
had the upper hand, time after time tackles were missed and a 23 point half
time deficit was the result. According to Ben Youngs a number of ‘unbroadcastable
words’ were exchanged at half time and after the break we saw the result of them
as England delivered a much more joined up defensive display however overall it
was still some way off their best.
The twenty three point Third Test
crushing puts a rather larger dampener on the previous two Test results and now
the question on everyone’s lips is has this tour been a failure? In the
emotional aftermath of such a result the quick and natural response is to this
is yes. Three matches played and three defeats certainly doesn’t make for great
reading however if you look beyond the numbers there is an alternative answer.
The Third Test highlighted New
Zealand’s killer instinct and ability to rugby play at an intensity that is difficult
to match, their brutal efficiency is envied by every side in the world, not
just England and there is no doubt that now, on 21st June 2014, they
remain the undisputed World Leaders. Failure is a strong word and one that I
don’t believe this England side and its coaching staff deserve to have placed
at their door. Yes individual's flaws have been exposed and combinations have been tried that haven't worked however this must be done. In June 2013 England are not saying that they are finish article
and they are not pretending to be ready to win the World Cup, in fact they are
still building and this difficult tour will be a valuable and critical lesson in
their development. When was the last time that we pushed the All Blacks so
hard? When was the last time that we felt that we produced rugby that eclipsed
Hanson’s men?
England’s coaching staff and
players will draw hugely from this tour, they will use the feelings of hurt to
fuel their fire and make them a better side. Cast your minds back to the end of
the 2013 Six Nations and remember the reaction this year at Twickenham and
whilst the All Blacks are a different kettle of fish to Wales England’s
reaction will be just as powerful and potent in November. England’s comebacks
in the Second and Third Test took guts and courage, previous England sides
wouldn’t have fought back with so much venom. This squad’s attitude and desire
is greater than I have ever seen it and over the next twelve months they will
take their game to another level.
Right now the overriding emotions
will be hurt, pain and disappoint... today England weren’t good enough, they
were exposed and they paid the price. However Stuart Lancaster is building and
he is building something special, the road to greatness is never easy, along
the way difficult and excruciating lessons must be learned. In the coming days,
weeks and even months individuals will be criticised, some rightly, some
wrongly and everyone will have a firm opinion on the success of this tour. In
my eyes England have not failed this summer, they have merely stumbled and will
go onto to achieve greatness in the future.
