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England player ratings | The 33 players capped at Rugby World Cup 2023
When Jack Walker entered the fray on Saturday in Lille with 26 minutes remaining, it was a squad rotation job fully done by England. All 33 players in their Rugby World Cup group had now become capped at France 2023, the perfect sort of team-building statistic for them to take into their two-week break in between Pool D matches.
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That’s a lay-off where training will only recommence this Thursday after the players were given permission to break free from base camp at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and do what they like for a few days.
It won’t be until October 7 – versus Samoa in Lille – when they are back in action on the pitch and this pause after victories over Argentina, Japan and Chile in Marseille, Nice and Lille respectively is a perfect moment to rate the contribution off all the players Steve Borthwick took with him across the Channel on August 31. Here are the RugbyPass England player ratings for the September part of their Rugby World Cup campaign:
FULL-BACK (2)
Freddie Steward – 7
2 starts (149 mins): Rated 4.5/10 for his Summer Nations Series, he gets an upward bump here after World Cup starts versus Argentina and Japan, improvement rewarded by that excellent catch and dive to score in the corner from a left-footed George Ford crosskick late on in Nice.
Marcus Smith – 8.5
1 start, 2 runs as sub (96 mins): Understandable if his head dropped given his marginal involvement off the bench in the opening two games, but his attitude was excellent and he turned it on with his first full-back start against Chile. Two tries, including that solo humdinger of a kick-and-chase from halfway, and loads of positive actions. A class act that must start in October if England are to become a genuine title threat.
WING (4)
Elliot Daly – 5.5
3 starts (210 mins): A Borthwick favourite, he is the only player to have started all three games at the finals. His wing play was stymied by England’s blunt attack in their opening two matches but he defended well when needed and seemed to enjoy himself running the outside centre channel for 50 minutes against Chile.
Jonny May – 4
2 starts (160 mins): A player whose story is an example of not throwing a tantrum in a deflating moment, playing the long game instead. Could have told Borthwick to shove it in August when omitted from the World Cup squad, but Anthony Watson’s injury led to starts against the Pumas and the Japanese. The pity is England’s shackled game plan just doesn’t suit his best attributes.
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Henry Arundell – 10
1 start (80 mins): Okay, his sole appearance came against minnows Chile, but in the circumstances he was excellent and a scorer of five well-finished tries to equal a mark set 20 years ago by Josh Lewsey. Having been anonymous in his two previous England starts under Borthwick, he would have been under pressure to show he could star in the starting jersey and he stylishly did this to surely pressure Borthwick into involving him next month.
Max Malins – 3
1 start (70 mins): Scored two tries at the top of the year versus Scotland, but it hasn’t happened since then for the winger as his game has too many loose ends and selection setbacks. Must have been so envious seeing Arundell score five from the right wing versus Chile compared to his blank on the other side.
CENTRE (3)
Joe Marchant – 6
2 starts, 1 run as sub (170 mins): On quite a run of heavy involvement after a Six Nations limited to just 96 minutes. A starter in England’s two big games, his fear will be that with Owen Farrell back from suspension, Borthwick will revert to the 2019 tactic of Ford, Farrell and Manu Tuilagi at 10, 12, 13.
Manu Tuilagi – 5.5
2 starts (138 mins): Excellent in the backs-to-the-wall 14-man situation against the Pumas, much less so versus the Japanese where he looked out of sorts and offered little with England needing to create.
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Ollie Lawrence – 5.5
1 start, 2 runs as sub (102 mins): Marchant has the jump on him in terms of pecking order, but he went well at inside centre versus Chile, beating defenders for fun and driving powerfully in contact. England’s penchant for playing Tuilagi, however, will squeeze him out.
OUT-HALF (2)
George Ford – 8.5
2 starts, 1 run as sub (185 mins): It’s crazy that someone who, until mid-August, hadn’t started an England game since March 2021 is now so important to the blunt Borthwick blueprint. That’s an approach that drew the ire of fans fed up with the amount of kicking versus Japan, slow ruck ball only further encouraging him to tamely boot the ball rather than play through the hands. That said, he was truly immense versus Argentina in striking a 10-minute drop goal hat-trick and kicking all 27 points, a perfect example of living in the moment. That’s why he rates so highly as without him, England would likely have lost that key encounter which has set up their campaign.
Owen Farrell – 5
1 start (80 mins): Came back from his ban to skipper the team in the rout of Chile, but the No10 shirt is Ford’s to keep for the remainder of the tournament and he will be hoping that Borthwick goes down the 2019 10/12 route next month.
SCRUM-HALF (3)
Alex Mitchell – 6
2 starts (118 mins): Cut from the May cloth in that he is the other player starting at the finals who wasn’t in Borthwick’s plans until injury intervened. Looked the part against Argentina in playing with a bit of abandon in the 14-man circumstances, but kicked way too much against Japan and it was one particular wasted kick of his that ignited the loud boos from the England fans.
Danny Care – 5.5
1 start, 1 run as sub (71 mins): Talked about Argentina potentially being the greatest week of his career only to them learn he was just the sub backing up Mitchell. Didn’t do enough versus Chile to earn that starting shirt next month.
Ben Youngs – 4.5
2 runs as sub (51 mins): In terms of someone to share the No9 workload, England’s record caps holder is a handy fella to have off the bench and he helped quicken things against Japan which admittedly wasn’t hard given how laboured the team was. His run versus Chile, though, was likely the end of his road at this tournament.
LOOSEHEAD (3)
Ellis Genge – 5.5
1 start, 1 run as sub (75 mins): Still not in the best of form following a below-par August and while he helped lay the foundation for the all-important Argentina win, Joe Marler has closed the gap to the extent that Genge is not long the clear first-choice. At least his bolshy “Write us off now, all the best” pre-finals tweet has aged well with England three wins from three.
Joe Marler – 7
1 start, 2 runs as sub (111 mins): Excellent off the bench against the Pumas, England would have been in dire straits without his assists for the first two tries against the Japanese. Of course, the second one was a farce as he unwittingly headed the ball forward after a Will Stuart deflection but they all count.
Bevan Rodd – 4
1 start (54 mins): The second most patient man in the squad of 33 as his token 11 minutes off the early August bench in Cardiff was followed by a seven-week wait for his start and more minutes versus Chile. To give him his on-pitch due, he burrowed over for the bonus point try, but he is the epitome of a squad man at these finals, there in case of an emergency only.
HOOKERS (3)
Jamie George – 7
2 starts (147 mins): Brought all his experience to bear in ensuring England didn’t fold down a man for 77 minutes against Argentina. Topped the tackle chart that Marseille night with 15. Had his issues, though, with the onus on England to create against Japan, summed up by the botched attempted catch when he came around on the loop at a lineout kicked to the corner late in the first half in Nice.
Theo Dan – 6
1 start, 2 runs as sub (67 mins): We like his energy and his ability to get on the ball and carry more than George does. Also showed his passing ability with a lovely first-half assist for Arundell’s second try against Chile, but still behind his Saracens rival in the Test pecking order given England’s blunt style of game plan.
Jack Walker – 3
1 run as sub (26 mins): Definitely the most patient man in this squad, becoming the last of the 33 to get on the pitch when summoned to replace Dan in Lille last Saturday. That will be the highlight of his tournament.
TIGHTHEAD (3)
Kyle Sinckler – 5
2 starts (105 mins): England need him fully firing next month but his form is a slow burner. Fared better against Chile but struggled in general play against Japan, and that is a worry heading into October.
Dan Cole – 8
1 start (51 mins): Just the single start but that was a hats-off performance, getting stuck into the Argentina set-piece and being the perfect robust character to ward off a crisis with England losing a man to a third-minute red card. Mentally, would have taken a lot to bounce back from his nightmare 2019 final. A heartwarming comeback story.
Will Stuart – 4.5
3 runs as sub (84 mins): Tasted action across all three weekends, but his game is too loose at the minute. Looked the part subbing against the Pumas, but very much not so against Japan and Chile.
SECOND ROW (4)
Ollie Chessum – 6
2 starts, 1 run as sub (160 mins): If he could carry, he would be a potential world-class player in the making. That unease with the ball was evident when looking for the try line against Japan, although England did score through Lewis Ludlam off the recycle. That aside, he has shown fine promise, doing everything a player in his role must do with a massive engine and a smile.
Maro Itoje – 6.5
2 starts (160 mins): Deserves much praise for his defensive Marseille effort but Nice wasn’t so nice. A stat emerged last week that he was the player who has cleared most rucks at the tournament after two rounds (62). Sounds great, but the curiosity is England’s ruck speed after Argentina and Japan was 13th of the 20 teams at the finals (4.39secs) and they had the second-most rucks lasting longer than five seconds (29 per cent). That needs a hurry up, be it Itoje himself or the England collective.
George Martin – 5.5
1 start, 2 runs as sub (118 mins): Some will feel the jury is still out, that Jonny Hill would have been the better World Cup pick given his nuisance value. Martin, though, is the more disciplined operator which was why he was picked and his versatility has gotten him three finals caps with more to follow off the bench.
David Ribbans – 5
1 start (80 mins): Got his start against Chile and that might be all the action he will get. He did well, particularly at the maul, but two penalties against won’t help his cause given Borthwick’s clampdown in that area.
BACK ROW (6)
Ben Earl – 8.5
2 starts, 1 run as sub (173 mins): Another player whom Borthwick wasn’t a fan of to begin with, sending him away from the Six Nations to work on his game. The fruits of that tuition were evident in his excellent ball-carrying effort against Japan, while 13 tackles versus Argentina were even more important. Definitely not your traditional bulky No8, but he has risen to the World Cup occasion.
Courtney Lawes – 8.5
2 starts (134 mins): Immense against Argentina, finishing as his pack’s best ball carrier, it was his alertness to play on after Marler’s header that got England their crucial game-breaking try versus Japan. Has rolled back the years, playing a captain’s part.
Lewis Ludlam – 7
2 starts, 1 run as sub (119 mins): His enthusiastic personality comes across well on the pitch. Made a crazy 11 tackles in just 14 minutes off the bench against the Pumas and while he was less effective as a starter versus Japan despite his first-half try, his energy was at the heart of shattering Chilean resistance after a 0-0 opening quarter.
Billy Vunipola – 2
1 start, 1 run as sub (96 mins): Leggy in August before his suspension, he continued to be leggy in September and didn’t make a telling impact. Very, very average in his start against Chile.
Jack Willis – 7.5
1 start (80 mins): Rates highly on the basis of his single cap, a try-scoring effort versus Chile where he put in 18 tackles. The issue for him, though, is that he could now be frozen out of the selection given Borthwick has his favourites.
Tom Curry – 0
1 start (3 mins): A single red-carded tackle was the story of his September World Cup. Has it all to do versus Samoa to prove he is a must-pick for the quarter-finals.
Comments on RugbyPass
Both cards were harsh. Yet again highlighting rugby's inconsistencies and the absurd effect of cards
2 Go to commentsExcellent game management in the last 15 or so minutes to close it out. Aussie got a bit panicky.
2 Go to commentsWhile all this is going on… I’ve been thinking more about the NFL draft system and how to make the commercial elements of the game more sustainable for SA teams who precariously live on the fringe of these developments. SA teams play in Europe now, and are welcome, because there’s a novelty to it. SA certainly doesn’t bring the bucks (like a Japan would to SR) but they bring eyes to it. But if they don’t perform (because they don’t have the money like the big clubs) - it’s easy come easy go… I think there is an element of strategic drafting going on in SA. Where the best players (assets) are sort of distributed amongst the major teams. It’s why we’re seeing Moodie at the Bulls for example and not at his homegrown Western Province. 20-30 years ago, it was all about playing for your province of birth. That has clearly changed in the modern era. Maybe Moodie couldn’t stay in the cape because at the time the Stormers were broke? Or had too many good players to fit him in? Kistchoff’s sabbatical to Ireland and back had financial benefits. Now they can afford him again (I would guess). What I am getting at is - I think SA Rugby needs to have a very strong strategy around how teams equitably share good youth players out of the youth structures. That is SA’s strong point - a good supply of good players out of our schools and varsities. It doesn’t need to be the spectacle we see out of the states, but a system where SA teams and SA rugby decide on where to draft youth, how to fund this and how to make it that it were possible for a team like the Cheetahs (for example) to end up with a team of young stars and win! This is the investment and thinking that needs to be happening at grassroots to sustain the monster meanwhile being created at the top.
47 Go to commentsGreat win - but very poor officiating yet again. Even the Aussie commentators slammed the YC decisions.
1 Go to commentsThe game where it felt like RSA was going to lose the most was the England game in my view. Heart in throat after the Farrell drop-goal…Amazing that the boks overcame 3 times in a row…not likely to be repeated ever in my view Also the boys looked emotionally spent in the England game in the 1st half That said, why was World Rugby and Beaumont allowed to stack the pools in England’s favour? Toughest opponents on that side of the draw were Fiji, Argentina (implode central) and Auckland Girls 2nd team
48 Go to commentsOnline trolls - the only ppl who the Crusaders can beat
2 Go to commentsDefinitely some greater nous by the Walleroos and it will take a bit of time for Jo Yapp to have a lasting affect. Canada are a forward dominated physical team and only the top 3 teams can match them, though not so sure about BF’s forwards. Many of Canada’s forwards earn their living in the English PWR, the breeding ground for the Red Roses amazing strength in depth. The next PAC4 matches will be interesting.
1 Go to commentsIs the Club World Cup and the World League, in combination, going to make or break world Rugby? I personally think it’s too much. Established tournaments and competitions’s significance is going to be drowned out by “the new shiney Mall built just down the street”.
47 Go to commentsLoved Carr‘s post match interview. “No, I don’t think so Jean. But thank you.” Good kid. Louw a certain feature for the Boks this year.
1 Go to comments“Where is the challenge to Leinster, Toulouse and La Rochelle likely to come from in future?” Racing 92 ? This has not been a good season for them this year, but they have a very strong squad……players like Woki, Nyakane, Kolisi, Le Roux, Lauret(these two older now), Le Garrec, Fickou, Tuisova, Arundell. With the addition next year of Owen Farrell, that is some firepower to mount a serious challenge ? And with Stuart Lancaster having a year under his belt, things should go better. Northampton will be a year wiser, more streetwise too. And I would expect one or two of the South African sides to mount a more serious challenge, but that would depend on keeping more players at home
47 Go to commentsWow, have to go but can’t leave without saying these thoughts. And carlos might jump in here, but going through the repercussions I had the thought that sole nation representatives would see this tournament as a huge boon. The prestige alone by provide a huge incentive for nations like Argentina to place a fully international club side into one of these tournaments (namely Super Rugby). I don’t know about the money side but if a team like the Jaguares was on the fence about returning I could see this entry as deciding the deal (at least for make up of that side with its eligibility criteria etc). Same goes for Fiji, and the Drua, if there can be found money to invest in bringing more internationals into the side. It’s great work from those involved in European rugby to sacrifice their finals, or more accurately, to open there finals upto 8 other world teams. It creates a great niche and can be used by other parties to add further improvements to the game. Huge change from the way things in the past have stalled. I did not even know that about the French game. Can we not then, for all the posters out there that don’t want to follow NZ and make the game more aerobic, now make a clear decision around with more injuries occur the more tired an athlete is? If France doesn’t have less injuries, then that puts paid to that complaint, and we just need to find out if it is actually more dangerous having ‘bigger’ athletes or not. How long have they had this rule?
47 Go to commentsHaha he does the exact opposite of what you’d expect any receiver to do, Brilliant!
2 Go to commentswell the favourites dont always win and let scott robertson chose his number 8
4 Go to commentsthats great for cam miller and the highlanders the crusaders have got problems within there systems that were proberly covered up astheywere winning when scott robertson was in charge
2 Go to commentsThe last time Plumtree coached the sharks they sucked the same when with the hurricanes now back with the shark Springboro. They still have no game plan
1 Go to commentsan impressive nail biting win for the Blues...but for mine the losing of the game sits with Isaia Walker-Leawere who fumbled balls from kick offs, broken play and then stripped of the ball by Sam Nock in the final minute…
4 Go to commentsAll of the Moderna law changes have been to slow the game down, playing into the hands of SA and the north. Incentivising boring, negative rugby. Brilliant changes. Speed up the game.
24 Go to commentsImagine you kick to the lineout, they give away a free kick, you have a great chance at a scrum, sorry sir you have to tap and go. Ridiculous
24 Go to commentsWhile I believe that the Crusaders do not deserve a spot in the playoffs, every single team would be worried to play them no matter where on the table they are. For example, they have the potential to knock out the Blues at Eden Park. They are the Springboks in Super Rugby in that they know exactly how to play knockout footy and have the pedigree and experience to do it. Something is just not quite right with that team this year. Fakatava is prone to to the odd brain explosion and can kick away good ball in bad positions. His work around the ruck and breakdown is a standout. Is he better than Finlay Christie? I’m not sure. TJ Perenara and Cortez Ratima should get two of the spots in the ABs squad. Aumua has so much potential but the midfield is quite well stocked with Jordie, ALB, Tupaea, and Ioane as well as Billy Proctor who is in top form. Aumua would be battling a spot with Tupaea and Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy do some Bok fans get so defensive when people have opinions on how the game should be played? Is it really necessary to take it as a personal attack on SA every time?
24 Go to comments