LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'England are aiming high and have every reason to do so.'

God bless the Pumas, which might not have been the refrain in the Curry household over the last few days but there is little doubt that England’s win over Argentina was as significant a moment in their development as had been the landmark victory over the All Blacks the previous weekend.

England had to toil and scrap and keep the faith during those frantic final moments. They were on their backsides as Argentina scented another roll-back-the-stone victory. You can’t teach spirit through a coaching manual. You can’t inculcate trust through some contrived off-field PR team-bonding exercise. You can’t work out what the hell is going on unless you’ve had to deal with a squeaky-bum, problem-solving situation. Scotland didn’t cope with it. England did. And that takes them into 2026 in as good a shape as any England side have been since Clive Woodward’s mob marched onwards towards Sydney.

Despite the accusations levelled by supporters the world over, England do not live in an ivory tower, polishing their egos and writing their own publicity briefs about how they are going to create an Empire on across the globe. We bombastic pillocks in the media might make inflated claims on their behalf but within the camp there is nothing but level-headed appraisal and commitment to continuous development. It’s not their fault that they are the butt of so much cultural hatred, usually unwarranted, invariably ignorant and prejudiced. Of course there lurks a danger of getting carried away. That’s why the end-game about-turn in fortunes against Argentina is so important for England. It shows them that they are not there yet, that they are tracking about third/fourth, a long, long way adrift of marker-leaders, the Demolition Derby force that is the Springboks.

Steve Borthwick has long had a switch within him that can turn on cold water at the first mention of a fulsome adjective. But even he would have struggled to get his finger in the dyke of excessive praise if it had been a straightforward win over the Pumas. Instead, he has a caveat to the hype. England could have lost. Eleven wins in a row is impressive by any measure. The 2026 Six Nations, with Wales and Ireland at home, Scotland at Murrayfield followed by Italy in Rome is a reasonable run of fixtures before a Paris finale. The stats are encouraging, although also potentially delusional. England did wobble at the final autumnal fence. Last year, though, they would have fallen and hit the turf. Now, at least, they can bank a win whilst also be aware that there are stiffer fences to clear ahead of them.

South Africa are not the only yardstick against which England must measure themselves but if a team can’t find ways to counter their strengths then they can wave goodbye to having genuine World Cup ambitions.

One glance at events at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening will show them just how much they need to add to their game if they are not to suffer the fate that befell them in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final when they were battered and bested by an opposition that draws so much energy from a sense of country. This Springbok generation is even more stacked than that squad, more cleverly and imaginatively handled, too, with Rassie Erasmus proving once again that he is aa coach to rank alongside greats of the game such as a Carwyn James or Bob Dwyer.

South Africa are not the only yardstick against which England must measure themselves but if a team can’t find ways to counter their strengths then they can wave goodbye to having genuine World Cup ambitions. The scrummage is one of the Boks’ prime assets. Not only do they have a seemingly never-ending supply of muscular lumps, they are also canny in the way in which they make such use of the beef. Witness the swift substitution of starting props, Boan Venter and Thomas du Toit, for Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw, just before half-time against Ireland.

England have to find a way to deal with all that. The Springboks won’t be throttling back, that’s for sure. Yellow cards, penalty tries, 16 scrum feeds, eight scrum penalties, an opposition pulverised and a psyche damaged probably beyond repair. England are aware, very aware. There was a fascinating cut-away mid-match on TNT Sports at Twickenham when David Flatman flagged up the fact that rather than resort to passive, safety-first scrummaging after early infringements, Ellis Genge, had doubled down and kept on pushing and probing. Scrum frailties cost England in the Yokohama final six years ago. They can ill-afford that sort of fault-line appearing again. The scrum is a Springbok weapon and they have every right to use it to maximum destructive effect. The calls to depower it are hogwash. Do that and rugby union becomes rugby league.

England recognise what needs to be done. They cannot willingly whistle down a coal-mine and summon great slabs of meat. Instead, they must continue to do what they have been doing – build a squadron of experienced, reliable front-rowers. Joe Heyes has proved his worth as did Asher Opoku-Fordjour against Argentina. That stockpile requires constant replenishment.

A year ago England lacked leadership. Itoje had the armband but by then he hadn’t asserted himself. Now, there are genuine game-shapers and mood-setters all over the field, from Genge to Ben Earl to George Ford and Elliot Daly.

For all the reservations, England supporters have every reason to be upbeat. The management is building depth, there are options in almost all the key areas while the team is fitter than it used to be, hence the ability to close out the sort of games that were being lost12 months ago. England have an identity and they have strong leaders. It was good to see Maro Itoje sprint towards the tunnel at the final whistle once he realised that the Curry-Contepomi bout was kicking off.

A year ago England lacked leadership. Itoje had the armband but by then he hadn’t asserted himself. Now, there are genuine game-shapers and mood-setters all over the field, from Genge to Ben Earl to George Ford and Elliot Daly (even if his return to international duty was ragged).

There are lots of positives. Look at the midfield. Only a few weeks ago this appeared to be a problem area for England as it has been for many years. Now, through circumstance rather than precise planning, Borthwick, has a selection quandary of a good kind to make in the New Year. Seb Atkinson falls by the injury wayside then Fraser Dingwall and up steps Max Ojomoh. A sliding doors moment for the Bath centre? Son-of-Steve certainly made it look that, grabbing the opportunity with both hands and it would be hard to look past him and Ollie Lawrence leading the line against Wales in the Championship.

Finding the feelgood sweet spot in sport is an eternal quest. The target is ever-moving but England have their sights set fair for a productive 2026. They are aiming high and have every reason to do so.