England summer tour squad ratings: Maro Itoje a colossus – but Will Stuart pummelled
England may have lost this month’s two-Test series to New Zealand but there were positives to take from the summer tour, which also included a big win over Japan. The form of Maro Itoje and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso stood out, but how do the rest of England’s squad compare? Here are Telegraph Sport’s ratings of those who played on the tour...
Props
Fin Baxter
Against one of the top scrums in the world, Baxter played 63 and then 69 minutes. And did not look out of place. He held up his end of the scrum and made a total of 30 tackles; no one made more in the second Test. For all the problems on England’s tighthead side, the emergence of Baxter means the other side of the scrum is in safe hands. 8/10
Dan Cole
Remarkable that England still rely on a 37-year-old to the extent that they do, Cole did not reverse New Zealand’s scrum dominance but he did ensure there was a degree of parity. 6/10
Joe Marler
The other self-titled ‘old fart’ of English props only lasted 17 minutes in the first Test against the All Blacks, but is still highly prized for his scrummaging prowess. 6/10
Bevan Rodd
Reasonable performance against Japan, but first action in the second Test was to give away a crucial scrum penalty. 5/10
Will Stuart
Ethan De Groot’s angles may have been suspect but ultimately he ended up face down a lot of the time in New Zealand. With 40 caps, he is hardly a rookie learning his trade at the coal face. 4/10
Hookers
Theo Dan
Needs to learn a better tackle technique after suffering a head injury in the second Test. 5/10
Jamie George
Finished as England’s top tackler over the two Tests against New Zealand. Line-out started well in both matches before tailing off. George can be granted some slack as he returned to the field 30 seconds after being replaced in the second Test. 7/10
Locks
Alex Coles
First action in Dunedin was to give away a penalty. Did not do much in Auckland. 5/10
Maro Itoje
There is something about playing New Zealand that just brings the best out of Itoje. As I wrote on Saturday night, Itoje was utterly spent by the final quarter of the second Test, which is unsurprising when he has gone over the player game limit, but his efforts across the two New Zealand matches were monumental, particularly at the line-out. 9/10
George Martin
If there is one moment that sums Martin up, it was the second row picking a fight with Jordie Barrett and then the entire All Black pack. And not taking a single backwards step. His tackling was ferocious and is now translating that force to his carrying. 8/10
Back rows
Chandler Cunningham-South
Monstrous in the first Test, monstered in the second. His statline shows that he was the only England player not to make any metres with ball in hand, as his upright carrying style was ruthlessly targeted by the All Blacks. 6/10
Tom Curry
Part of a really disappointing England replacement crew who failed to make an impact in the All Blacks series. 5/10
Ben Earl
Came into this series wanting to match up to Ardie Savea. By those high standards, Earl fell short. Made a staggering 46 carries in the two Tests but coughed up several turnovers. 6/10
Sam Underhill
Uncharacteristically missed a few tackles in the second Test. Huge value as a glue player but England failed to win a single turnover at Eden Park so there is a question mark if a fetcher might be required in the back-row mix. 6/10
Scrum-halves
Alex Mitchell
Really sharp service from the base, he constantly tested the New Zealand defence without fully breaking through. It was noticeable how much England’s attack dipped when he was replaced in the first Test and Ben Spencer remained on the bench in the second. 7/10
Harry Randall
His box kicks seemed to go backwards against Japan. Will come again. 5/10
Ben Spencer
Such a good season with Bath, but kicking was not on the money in the first Test – and he did not appear in the second. 5/10
Fly-halves
Fin Smith
Came off the bench in all three Tests and is clearly part of Steve Borthwick’s long-term thinking at fly-half, along with Marcus Smith and George Ford. 6/10
Marcus Smith
So nearly excellent. His cross-kicks to Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso were landed on a sixpence and constantly stressed the New Zealand defence with his running and passing threat. Still, was unable to guide England over the finishing line, missing some crucial kicks in the first Test, which means the battle for the No 10 shirt will continue into the autumn. 7/10
He's done it again ❤️
Precision from @MarcuSmith10 who picks out @TommyFreemo15#NZLvENG | @SkySports pic.twitter.com/WSbiuVIHiR— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 13, 2024
Centres
Ollie Lawrence
We are not angry, just disappointed. After such a strong end to the Six Nations, Lawrence could not reprise that ball-carrying form against the All Blacks. 5/10
Henry Slade
Senior man in the back line and has become England’s defensive leader. A few of his tackles behind the gain line did not stick and his kicking was sometimes inaccurate. 6/10
Wingers
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
A star is born. The Exeter wing had already established his ridiculous potential in the Six Nations but here he showed the hype is very real. Even more impressive than his tally of three tries in three games, including a brilliant finish in the second Test, was his scramble defence to make up for the chasms of space left on the wing. 8/10
BRILLIANT TRY! 💥
What a fantastic move from England who answer back with the PERFECT response! 👏🏴 pic.twitter.com/hS8cjkbRjh— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 13, 2024
Tommy Freeman
Claimed a beautiful high ball to score a try above Mark Telea’s head at Eden Park and pulled off one try-saving tackle. Probably a notch below the attacking threat that Feyi-Waboso is and it would be great if he went hunting for as much work as he does at Northampton. 7/10
Tom Roebuck
Like Ollie Sleighholme only had one real flash, but what a flash it was in a carving run against Japan. 6/10
Ollie Sleightholme
Sevu Reece learned a painful lesson about showing the Northampton flyer the outside. Will push his case for a starting shirt next season. 6/10
Full-backs
George Furbank
His value in the first Test was subsequently underlined by his absence in the second where England desperately missed his incisive running and playmaking ability. After Dunedin, several Kiwi journalists were raving about Furbank and how he could hypothetically fit into the All Blacks team. When they have Beauden Barrett at their disposal that is some compliment. 8/10
Freddie Steward
Looked off the pace which may be a result of a crunching De Groot tackle or lack of game minutes. He had not played a game since May 19 before the second Test. 5/10