ENGLAND PLAYER SERIES RATINGS | Autumn Internationals 2024

[@Sanchez567]

Giving Roebuck a higher score try than Freeman is mad. He finished two tries well and that’s it. Freeman has been a weapon in the kicking game for England and critical for that part of the game.

[@lukesalter5925]

I would have given Itoje a 7. Yes he gave away some penalties but he was a menace at the breakdown

[@bolton121]

One of the things that surprised me this series was how little jackal threat we offered. I'm guessing that was directed by the coaches but from memory we got 1 or 2 across the 4 games? We definitely have the players in the squad that can do that so my assumption is that it's sacrificed for the blitz D to 'work'

[@callumnotman5145]

For me a main problem for a while has been Henry Slade. His defence has been terrible this Autumn. And the old argument for needing a second 'playmaker' seems over and done with. But England don't need a playmaker in the centers with Marcus Smith (also rugby has evolved and it seems like most top tier1 teams have 2 ball carrying centers. Or a least a center that brings a threat. -Allende/Kriel -Aki/Ringrose -Tuipilutou/Jones -Moefana/Fickou -Barrett/Ioane...etc Also England's attack has been better since Lawrence moved to 13 as he is a good threat out wide and england also have good wingers to back that up. I would love to see a new 12 'blooded' in the 6 Nations. Maybe Ojomoh, Beard or Northmore... I don't watch enough club games to know but some of those named could be test animals. Another idea... Freddie Steward could be Englands version of Jordie Barrett. Physicaly they are both massive, big boot, love to crash ball...etc And that would mean keep Furbank at 15 with maybe Roebuck on the bench. SB its time to blood some young props and a new 12 please!!! Other than that, stick to the team and keep building.

[@JoeyJoeJoex]

Fully agree with the ratings, Underhill and Smith have been standout performers to cement themselves as starting. 12 shirt is the biggest issue and truly, I would love to see Steward be reformed into that role. He’d be perfect and has all the attributes to be the world class inside centre we are longing for.

[@Grayson_Baker]

The trouble with 2 Smiths playing the same position, is it M. Smith or F. Smith.

[@TheOne-uo7is]

5 is generous for Slade. I don’t think he made one line break in 4 games, very few metres made and zero dominant tackles. He must be replaced for the six nations. A few clever kicks aren’t enough.

[@waynemoore9951]

Bit harsh on freeman. Finn Smith was a breath of fresh air, beautiful pass for roebuck's try. Slade and Ford need to go.

[@peterp9918]

Great Ted Hill rant! Completely agree with you.

[@archierowbotham4484]

Cunningham- south, Feyi-Waboso and Itoje should have got 7

[@patrickrobert8819]

Really amazes me that you still think Randall hasn’t been given enough chance. He’s so poor at this level it’s ridiculous. So easy to say JVP was poor because he had a couple of kicks charged down but he’s so much better all round than the other two. No idea what your issue with Tom curry is, but it feels personal at this point 😂 not his fault he got knocked out then rushed back, one of this sides genuine world class players

[@johnbradshaw7525]

I hope Underhill is ok after going off early.

[@creatingsustainablecities3878]

M. Smith is great with moments of magic and attacking flair, but still haven't seen him properly marshal our attack and get the best out of the backline consistently. Fin Smith offered that in the 20 minute cameo he got, but hasn't been tested. That team is crying out for a player who plays week in week out for his club at no8 and a hard running 12. Would have liked to see Freeman at 13 as well, as the current system really doesn't work for Slade.

[@Brucemcleod2345]

I’m not British but absolutely love Marcus Smith. He is the one English player who makes England exciting to watch. I do not understand why you English took so long to recognise his skill. The other exciting English player is Henry Arundell - what happened to him?

[@DavidAngel-i3x]

Unsure on Ted Hill. Reminds me of a Dombrant. Fantastic skills for his size but question whether both have got that test match animal aggression or physicality. Deffo Got the skills though, worth a look.

[@MartinJG100]

Fair assessment. Portvliet's nudged knock on could have been a costly mistake in a tight fought international. He is all fingers and thumbs. Agree on Lawrence. Had a good game today.

[@nojosm]

Just about spot on Rich, England should be at a 6 for each position, swap Slade for Freeman and bring in a fast winger ?

[@andrewharris1837]

Cunningham South at least a 7 if Earl gets 7.

[@Bobertron199494]

Largely agree. We learnt very little from this autumn. I expect England to come 3rd or 4th. Really think we need to move on and get better coaches in

[@nickc4033]

Loosehead - Don't think Baxter warranted a higher mark than Genge - both middling really Hooker - George should be lower than Cowan-Dickie, since he kept being pulled on 50mins (so not sure he deserved your 'good engine' comment!) Tighthead - fair 2nd row - Isiekwe is nowhere close to a 6 (got folded in two by a smaller Japanese opponent and didn't show anything to suggest he has test quality performance levels) Backrow - fair, though thought CCS played better than Dombrandt so not sure both were a 6 Scrum half - not sure that any of them warranted more than 5 and JVP was pretty wayward, so the worst of the bunch Fly half - difficult to score F.Smith given the limited game time he got (but he does bring a bit more structure than M.Smith) Centres - fair Wing - Roebuck did well, but it was really just a cameo, so difficult to score him higher than Freeman Fullback - fair And the scoring for Steve Borthwick? I'd only give him a 3/10 - difficult to understand both his bench selections and the timing of when he used them; no real 'progress' nor any lessons learned to take the side forward before the next Six Nations... very poor and that - coupled with the disrupted backroom staff issues - suggest that he's not necessarily cut out for test-level coaching: just compare what he's done with the progress Joe Schmidt has achieved with Australia in just a few months...

[@pzee9732]

Sleightholme one of the most positive standouts for England during this series.

[@chrismoyse3529]

Sleightholme. 7 is generous for someone who seemingly can’t defend.

[@fraserposford144]

Far too generous a rating for Isiekwe. 3 at best and most of that is from that one lineout steal vs Japan. Otherwise, he has offered NOTHING from the bench yet still gets selected cos he plays for Saracens. He's bang average and needs to be cut entirely. Coles and Tizard to come in.

[@stefangreen3762]

Not sure how you can class Jamie George as having a good engine? When he’s blowing after 30 minutes

[@rob.1]

Giving you a 4 for your series ratings here Rich. Must do better.

[@davidwalker2402]

I think will try build around M Smith now. But if you look just how good England looked in attack with F Smith then I think t he as the way we should go forward.

[@MR-tb4po]

Agree with a lot of that mate but you’ve definitely got it in for T Curry and feel Underhill and M Smith were borderline 9 pointers. Also, George Martin and Maro similar? What!??? George has been stealing all of Maro’s lunches. And snacks. And dinners and breakfasts. I think you’ll be off Maro’s Christmas list

[@andrewharris1837]

What about Score for Borthwick? 3😮

[@baileyelson4008]

I love Jamie George but I do wonder if Luke at 2 and Dan at 16 might be the better option going forward

[@pjcbelter23]

About the only thing we've learned is that we now need to move on from Genge, LCD, Cole, Isiekwe, Dombrandt, Ben & Tom Curry, Slade and Steward...Theo Dan is a great player but if you can't scrum v SA then you shouldn't be in the squad. We need a clear-out now. CCS and Earl are impact players and will add much needed oomph from the bench. Ted Hill and Tom Willis need to start alongside Underhill. Backs need more cohesion. In attack and D. That's a coaching issue as much as a familiarity one. I'd bring Porter in from the As.

[@clayton8944]

Autumn international series ratings for a England team that lost three and managed to beat a Japanese side ranked below Wales and Georgia at the home of rugby . How any of them rated higher then 5 is bewildering to me . The only one to show any consistent ability in the backs was Smith , as for the forwards only the backrow showed inconsistant promise . Maybe a 6 for Stuart who looked like he had improved but for me is still not up there with the best europe has to offer . Really do not understand how any of them gets a score over 5 .

[@jonathanward10]

Agree with your scores on the players I think! When will SB pick those players who are actually the best in their position. ie England have out & out speedsters on the wings ,Freeman is NOT a winger he is not fast enough! So why has he played the whole Autumn series on the wing? Look at the SA wingers out & out pace that is what we need! Marcus Smith is NOT a full back vs the top tier nations he is Englands best fly half so just leave him there as Wilkinson was in the 2003 era, it gives you stability and gets rid of endless debate which is a major reason why we won the WC in 2003 there was no debate in every position. England need a new captain as Jamie George is not the best hooker in England plus he is always taken off after 60minutes. Did Martin Johnstone ever come off , no no 1 because he merited his place in the team, and to be a proper captain you need to be on for the full 80 minutes.

[@petercole6698]

How can C-South have the same rating as Dombrandt??

[@robinchanguion5400]

Those are quite high scores for a team that has won only one game out of the last four, and that being against Japan, who are ranked 13th in the world.

[@mikelambrou4462]

Sleightholme was dreadful in defence but his tries meant he just about finished in credit. You can maybe blame the system for exposing his judgement in defence but you can’t blame it for pathetic shirt grab attempts at a tackle that he made against Australia, SA and Japan - the sort that frustrates coaches in u11 games!

[@robinlambert3917]

Still needed to blood different centres and 6.7.8 Tom Willis and Ed hill and Tom Pearson .Steward made a mistake but he's built for overlaps from full back .to me Slade Ford Cole George have burnt out ..

[@TheLaughingBrexiteer]

6 for Martin?!

[@markpiotrowski6174]

What have you got against Freeman? Do you secret blame him for Ted Hill not being selected? Seriously though, I think you're being harsh on him-he offers a lot in the way England were trying to play. He's not perfect but definitely though he acquitted himself well

[@andreemurray7039]

With none of the youngplayers not getting a game time we need a captain that can stay on the pitch for the full game not a team of world beaters the 6 nations will be hard if we can beat at least 2 of the 3 a good start but I don't think so

[@wearsideexile6616]

Eddie Jones has ruined Tom Curry. He was probably the best 7 in the world in 2019 then Jones came up with his hybrid 6/7/8 bollocks. He looks a shadow of the player he was then.

[@nathanlewis3034]

George Ford, Dan Cole and Henry Slade have to be dropped for the six nations. I’d like to see Dingwell and Lawrence as the centre partnership going forward. Lawrence really came alive after switching to his more natural 13. No more ‘12 and halfs’. Joe Heyes and/or Fasogbon have to be brought in, have to start looking at the next generation of tight heads. Cole now offers nothing, time to retire and start developing into a scrum coach. George Ford’s time has passed and it’s time for Smith’s to battle it out for the 10 shirt. Only need this two 10s in the squad. The extra space could potentially go to Sam Spink or Gabriel Ibitoye? Just those changes would make all the difference to our squad

[@moco_coco_999]

Solid appraisals, not too much to argue with. Van Poortvliet, Slade and Freeman all 4s for me. Appreciate that many believe Freeman would do better at 13, but all that set of performances showed is that he's not an international wing. I think we need to make so changes and am concerned that Borthwick will go conservative again if he feels under pressure. But ultimately the player selection is secondary to the real priority which has to be sorting out the defensive system.

[@TheFiremansam22]

Slade out of the team for beard

[@WOWITSUREISHOTINHERE]

9 was always going to be a problem area after 10 years of youngs/care without blooding any new scrumhalfs...

[@Robbbbbm]

why does feyi-waboso get a lower ranking than sleight home. when we was playing her was far better

[@Replika54]

Wow this is sensationalist and over the top.

[@connormcqueen3633]

Think you're a bit harsh on Cowan Dickie for the comments (not necessarily the grade since he was only used as a reserve throughout). He has all the qualities that George has but also happens to be way more athletic and probably stronger in the scrum. He is like a big South African hooker who should be starting IMO. Dan is not good enough in the set piece which is a massive problem when you come up against France, NZ and SA. Very good around the park but not an ideal hooker in today's game where hookers are expected to be great in the lineout, great scrummagers and great around the park at the same time. I don't think Dan is that guy right now.

[@Jjaaccoobb..]

Freeman and Furbank will never perform well for England when there is no attacking structure. They excel with the quality of their running lines picking holes in defence but the attack has no structure for this to happen

[@j.k.jerome2093]

Borthwick gets a 5 out of 10 for me. Confused, blindly loyal and really didn't progress options in various positions. Not a great Autumn for him.

[@Greg-ql8yt]

Not sure of your marking approach. England won 1 game in 4 - against the weakest team. 3 from 4 was considered a pass. So if these were your students they failed 3 of their 4 end of year exams - so many of these players got a pass mark which is way to generous. The majority of the team should be below 5 and only exceptional players better.

[@Andy-Capp]

You say we see a lot of George urmmm 50 minutes per game

[@cybertrophic]

What we have learned is that Earl is a terrible 8 - he cannot/will not pass, always runs the same line off the back of the scrum and his defence has been poor. He's a 7, play him there. Dombrandt starts at 8 if we want cohesion, or bring in Willis. Curry should be dropped for good - poor when not injured and generally a passenger. Underhill has improved his ball-carrying, but I think there are better options chasing up behind him (Pollock, etc.). Slade - drop him for good. Ford, drop for good. JVP - terrible - has proved he's about 4th choice after Mitchell, Porter, Randall and Spencer. Martin was totally underwhelming - slow around the park, often totally out of place in defence. Maro is still a penalty magnet and often turning up for only 20 minutes. Cunningham-South was the best forward of the lot. Marcus Smith owns the 10 shirt - the only good thing in an england shirt for 7 games now, he creates chances, his kicking has been great and he has made more tackles and hit more rucks than Slade and Curry combined. Steward just needs dropping - too slow, too weak in contact, can't tackle and offers nothing. Furbank I don't think is the answer (yet): Hodge looks like one to watch, but Tyrone Green is available come the 6 nations and we'd be mad not to steal him from the Boks. Feyi-Waboso looks great, as does Sleightholme. Jury still out on Freeman. Beard or Ojomoh in at 13 for Slade, or ideally Anyanwu in at 12 with Lawrence to 13 would be best.

[@Bpt8825]

Could someone tempt Barbeary back to hooker? Seeing as all our current selection bar Georg being very small? For the Six Nations I’d like to see(I know it won’t happen due to eligibility): Baxter, Dan, Stuart, Itoje, Martin, T Hill, T Willis, J Willis Mitchell, F Smith, Hartley,Freeman, Roebuck, Feyi-Waboso Arundell Bench: Rodd, Langdon, Fagosban, O Chessum,Earl, Porter, M Smith, Slightholme

[@timdiggle5090]

Curtis Langdon is worth a look and do not forget that Jibulu (Eng U20s RWC winning hooker) is looking better by the week at 'Quins.

[@LizMorgan-o6q]

A young big hooker off the bench could be Seb Blake of Gloucester or Nathan Jibulu of Harlequins or slightly older Jamie Blamire of Newcastle.

[@librapower7810]

England have no cohesion, everything looks forced, robotic and a lack of leadership, you should definitely find a way to get Owen Farrell back at 12 and get rid of salade. I think wales have a great chance against england in 6n

[@RobertChapman-k5d]

Don't agree with Ben Earl's score, he isn't the greatest defender, gives away a lot of penalties, imo makes cheap metres from linebreaks rather than hard yards as a genuine ball-carrier, would prefer to see him off the bench covering 7 or 8, you can't even pick him as a genuine 7 because he's not the best at jackalling

[@stuartgrier5605]

England were poor yesterday. England left holes in their defence which Japan exploited a few times.I You are celebrating England winning against Japan, that is not a celebration I would show. If they keep playing like this, they will be lucky to beat italy or Wales next year. The Calcutta cup will remain in Edinburgh.

[@championthewonderhorse9733]

A lot of ad hominem attacks, but hard to fault the rstings ,- everyones a bit meh basically

[@justinstephenson9360]

There are a bunch of players who now need to be dropped, some may come back most probably will not. Time to go: Dan Cole, Dombrandt, JVP, Ford, Slade. Questionable: Tom Curry, Freddie Stewart maybe Daly, maybe Ben Curry. But there is plenty of talent coming through. Lots of young props, Pollock and Guy Pepper in the back row, Tom Willis, Oscar Beard etc. The problem is Borthwick will not pick them no matter how well they do at club level or for the Eng A team

[@EdProcter-x7d]

Borthwick - 0. If he ever wants to compete against the top 5 he needs to go. This autumn was perfect to introduce / test new players. Its a joke how dull and useless he is.

[@gingervirus2988]

Have you thought about wearing a hat? Given some of these ratings I think you’ve got a frozen brain. I’m not an England supporter so can hopefully be objective and I wonder if we were watching the same game.....

[@AnthonySteinghart]

Rassie wins trophies, he don’t care for this kak.

[@barnigranero5882]

Freeman "strong defender"? Were you watching the same matches as me? Freeman and Furbank can't defend. Also Mitchel and Randall are absolutely not good enough for international rugby. Spencer is a better option. Van Poortvliet has just come back from a long injury so I would give him more time.