When Stuart Lancaster sent out what may yet prove to be his last England selection, he would have known the likely outcome – a try bonanza as England thrashed Uruguay 60-3 in a performance sparked by a backline of youth and brio. Henry Slade, seen already as the much-longed-for answer to England’s problem position of inside centre, was given his first taste of World Cup rugby, albeit too late to affect the outcome of England’s campaign. He finished the night with a solo try to cap an accomplished display, while outside him Jack Nowell scored a hat-trick.
“People will probably say I should have given them opportunities earlier,” said Lancaster, right, “but at the start of my tenure they [Slade and Nowell] were playing with the Under-18s. I remember inviting Henry to watch training. Having that sort of talent coming through in midfield and out wide is very exciting for England. But we’ve still got to strive for balance. Test matches are won in different ways. Today was won by moving the ball and creating space on the edges, but you’ve still got to win that gainline battle and have that physicality in the side. The ball-carrying forwards helped us get that balance today.”
None more so than the man at the opposite end of the spectrum, age-wise. Nick Easter became England’s oldest try-scorer, bagging a hat-trick of tries, not his first in an England shirt, at the grand old age of 37. “His was a fantastic performance,” said Lancaster. “You think about what it takes to win big games, and you need a balance to the side. We had a lot of footballers in the side, which worked against Uruguay. But when you have someone like Nick doing what he did tonight, that really helps the team’s shape. If you haven’t got that ball-carrying ability you can’t create the space. I thought his shift was fantastic and belied his age. Everyone’s chuffed for him.”
None of it, though, can compensate for the pain of England’s untimely exit. Again, Lancaster rued the squandering of England’s 10-point lead in the final minutes against Wales. Even the draw they spurned, as it turns out, would have been enough for them to progress to the quarter-finals. “We had high hopes,” Lancaster conceded. “The frustration will live with us for ever.”
