Rugby challenge 3 twickenham
George Furbank, called into the side for the first time at fly-half for Farrell, who failed a second PCR test on Saturday, did all that was asked of him, having a hand in two of England’s five tries in the first half.Īdam Radwan was a potent force on the wing, while Freddie Steward dominated the back field like a seasoned AFL player. Yet there was much more to England’s performance than Smith’s dazzling attacking nous. The 22-year-old Smith’s vision and appetite to attack space is joyful to behold, and his cameo gave a glimpse into what could be a hugely exciting future. Smith will surely start at fly-half next Saturday, when England may again be without their captain Owen Farrell, who was ruled out of this game because of a positive PCR test for Covid-19. The poster boy of England’s rebranding highlighted his potential with a stunning cameo, scoring one and creating two tries in an enthralling finale that yielded five tries in 20 minutes. It was Marcus Smith, whose niggling injury had prevented him from starting the match, who best captured the moment. And yet there was so much to enthuse about in this 11-try victory, perhaps most notably that in a stroke it brought a feel-good factor back to Twickenham, banishing memories of last season’s grim Six Nations campaign with a blitz of tries and daring.īy the end, the Twickenham faithful – the first capacity crowd since March 2020 – celebrated as if they knew England were heading in the right direction once more. It remains to be seen if this heralded new dawn under Eddie Jones as he builds his final two-year World Cup project is founded upon substance as well as style.ĭespite Tonga’s admirable commitment and physicality, it is not unfair to assume England’s starting XV would face a more rigorous examination with an in-house game at Pennyhill Park.
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The first proper test of this new-look England side is yet to come, starting with Australia at Twickenham next Saturday, but this was the most emphatic of first steps forward.
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England score five first-half tries to lead 29-3 at the break against outclassed Tonga.