England are good but ABS are still better

There is no doubt that England have been absolutely outstanding in winning 3-0 in Australia. It is a magnificent achievement, but the truth is that they are still some distance behind New Zealand.

In fact, I would say they are two years behind the rugby world champions. New Zealand are still ahead of England and everyone else, simply because of their allcourt game. Even with the great players they have lost, I think they have already shown that they can still play that game where they are so comfortable in the wide channels and they are so good and accurate with their offloads once they get on the front foot. There is a collective reaction to find the players in space.

You can also see their intent to play when they disregard the hooter at the end of a half or at full time. They just keep going when other sides would kick the ball out and say: ‘‘We have done the job.’’

No other team can match that intensity or commitment at the moment. You have to try to stay with them all the time and hope that the scoreboard falls your way at the end, because they will never let up and have a habit of scoring at the critical times.

England do not have that instinct yet. Eddie Jones has given them the instinct to win, which is obviously crucial, but what he will want to do in his time with the players in the next two years is to challenge them to commit to changing their game.

Jones has got so many things right so far and has been adding little things along the way, but now he will try to add such things

as the counter-attack.

England needed Jones to get them over the line. He has made some very good players play even better.

There has been a big southernhemisphere influence in this.

There has, however, been no copying in the style of play. England have played their own way.

But you cannot get away from the fact that they do not get wide as impressively or as easily as Australia or New Zealand. That is down to attitude and intent, but also training too.

There are downsides to some things that happen in Super Rugby, but the most significant upside of that competition is that it challenges players to play with width and to get support to those players in the wide channels quickly.

When Australia got it right in Sydney on Saturday, they looked a yard quicker than England in recognising the mismatches and working to the wider spaces. New Zealand were the same against Wales. When they were on the front foot they got players in positions quicker.

I think Warren Gatland will coach the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand next year and he knows that to beat the All Blacks you have to play differently.

That is why Wales tried to change their game by playing wider and quicker, with Taulupe Faletau in the wide channels and an attempt to get other forwards in those positions. But they need more shape in those channels and they do not have that because they do not possess the same variety of runners that New Zealand have.

That said, it has still been a decent summer for the northern hemisphere, a step forwards after the Rugby World Cup. England are clearly above Australia and South Africa now, Ireland have made history and Scotland, despite not overly impressing, have won two test matches, but New Zealand are still some way out on top.

Ian Mcgeechan is a former coach of Scotland and the British and Irish Lions.