England had no plan B at Twickenham yesterday afternoon when they were comfortably beaten by South Africa by 21-11. The modern truism in the professional game is that if you lose the lineout you lose the match. England not only lost the lineouts but the scrums and the mauls too. They did not have the physical presence to take on the Springboks.
The All Blacks completed a grand slam when winning in Cardiff and Australia thrashed France. So, as we move slowly towards RWC2011 in New Zealand next October, the semi-finalists look like:
1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Australia
4. One from England/Ireland/Argentina/France/Fiji/Samoa