Autumn Series: Every home nations performance graded as England and Ireland impress

Sunday, 21 November 2021 at 20:13

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bySteven Smith

International rugby came back with a bang this month. The Autumn Nations brought us some of the best skills and thrills on display at a major tournament in history. RUCK Editor Steve Smith reviews each home nations performance.

Whether it was Ireland's dismantling of the All Blacks, or Marcus Smith's last-gasp winning penalty against South Africa, this series will go down in history as one of the most exciting Autumns in history.

While England stole the headlines on the final weekend, plenty of other sides exceeded expectations, while some failed to make as much noise as spectators thought they would. So, without further ado, here is how I would grade each home nation during the 2021 Autumn Nations Series.

IRELAND

Head coach: Andy Farrell
Star player: Caelan Doris
Underperformer: James Ryan
Record: Three wins
Grade: A-

Farrell would have hoped for sterner tests, but a third win in as many years against the All Blacks proved that the Irish are moving in the right direction.

Positives: Their starting front-row could go toe-to-toe with the Boks' bomb squad in the scrum, but also have a dynamism that makes them menaces all over the field. Caelan Doris was the breakout player, with the 23-year-old back-rower looking like a superstar in the making.

Negatives: The succession plan for after Johnny Sexton remains unclear, with Joey Carbery still looking a bit like a fullback playing 10 rather than an out-and-out fly-half.

RESULTS:

Ireland 60-5 Japan
Ireland 29-20 New Zealand
Ireland 57-3 Argentina

ENGLAND

Head coach: Eddie Jones
Star player: Freddie Steward
Underperformer: Sam Underhill
Record: Three wins
Grade: A

England will be pleased with their performances throughout the series, but Jones’ sights will be set on improvements to crucial areas ahead of the 2022 six nations.

Positives: Fans seem genuinely excited by the changing of the guard, with Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith amongst others coming into the fold. It was especially great to see Smith run the game against the Springboks with the 22-year-old slotting the winning penalty being the icing on the cake. The way England ended the series left people wanting more - a stark contrast to the shambles of an ending to the Autumn Nations Cup 12 months ago.

Negatives: Some issues in the front row, but that was clearly down to players being unavailable. Their back-row was another area of concern; appearing unbalanced in almost every game until Tom Curry moved back to the flank where he’s more comfortable. Fans will also be rightly nervous that Jones will try to wedge Owen Farrell back into the team when he returns from injury. Don't do it, Eddie!

RESULTS:

England 69-3 Tonga
England 32-15 Australia
England 27-26 South Africa

WALES

Head coach: Wayne Pivac
Star player: Taine Basham
Underperformer: Louis Rees-Zammit
Record: Two wins, two defeats
Grade: B

It wasn't a particularly memorable series for the men in red, but they'll be happy to have built some momentum heading into the Six Nations.

Positives: To win 50% of their games with over 20 players out injured or unavailable was a massive achievement for Pivac. Ellis Jenkins and Taine Basham in the back-row look the real deal. They could definitely establish themselves as regular starters in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Negatives: Liam Williams aside, their back three didn't function well with Louis Rees-Zammit's Lions tour hangover dragging on. Dan Biggar and Wyn Jones were also below par for potentially the same reason. They certainly have work to do heading into their title defence in February.

RESULTS:

Wales 16-54 New Zealand
Wales 18-23 South Africa
Wales 38-23 Fiji
Wales 29-28 Australia

SCOTLAND

Head coach: Gregor Townsend
Star player: Stuart Hogg
Underperformer: Hamish Watson
Record: Three wins, one defeat
Grade: B+

A winning end to Scotland’s Autumn Test schedule, but their stuttering performance against Japan is not how they will have wanted to sign off.

POSITIVES: With Ali Price, Jamie Ritchie and Stuart Hogg captaining the side at different points, Scotland now have leaders throughout their team. They also finally have some decent strength in depth with their finishers able to make positive impacts off the bench.

NEGATIVES: We didn't really see Finn Russell at his best. The Fly-half wasn't awful by any means, but I think it's fair to say we probably expected a bit more than what we got. Similar to some of the Wales players, Lions Rory Sutherland and Hamish Watson looked off the pace throughout while Duhan van de Merwe blew hot and cold.

RESULTS: