People get sensitive about semantics and England banishing the word ‘blitz’ from their tactical lexicon suggests a desire to move on from the Felix Jones saga. But to actually abandon the all-action system implemented by their former defence coach this year – prior to his shock resignation in the summer – would be a mistake.

In any job, taking over a struggling department might be preferable to assuming control of a well-oiled machine. Beginning from a low base gives you the opportunity to look good by making quick fixes and inspiring a ‘bounce’ effect.

Joe El-Abd does not have that luxury. Stepping in to succeed Jones, he will oversee a defence that has become England’s most identifiable characteristic. Players seem to have bought wholeheartedly into the methods while enjoying a confrontational, vigorous approach. In turn, it has engaged supporters.

Most importantly, it has been effective. If Steve Borthwick had been offered a total New Zealand tally of 40 points prior to the two-Test series in July, he would have gladly accepted.

While a blitz – a ‘rush’ or ‘up and in’, to use other familiar terms – does present opportunities, defensive frailty did not let England down. Untimely scrum penalties and lapses in attack, both at the breakdown and with handling errors, proved more damaging than defensive frailties in the final shake-up.

Tracking New Zealand’s tries

New Zealand were undoubtedly rusty, yet shipping only four tries represented a commendable return for England. Revisiting them all, we can appreciate how the system was not always at fault.

We begin here, in the 15th minute of the first Test in Dunedin. The All Blacks have already cycled through nine phases and England are compromised. Note that George Furbank starts close to the far touchline. Right-wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been pulled over to the opposite flank as well. Alex Mitchell is covering the near edge:

Sam Underhill pressurises Damian McKenzie and New Zealand spread the ball messily. Mitchell has a chance to stop Mark Tele’a behind halfway. However, the latter wriggles away from Mitchell and offloads to Patrick Tuipulotu to put England on the back foot:

Having reached the 22, the All Blacks probe the near touchline again. Furbank, who has crossed the field, makes a fantastic read and clatters Rieko Ioane. Unfortunately for him, TJ Perenara wins a crafty penalty advantage by passing into the tackler before Furbank can retreat to an onside position:

With this buffer, McKenzie hits a beautiful kick-pass to Sevu Reece:

The flat trajectory of the strike is what makes the try, because Tommy Freeman is not hugely narrow:

New Zealand’s second try arrives on the same flank:

In this case, Stephen Perofeta deserves credit for beating Ben Earl with a lovely stutter-step. Freeman buys the dummy and could perhaps have slowed his line speed, especially given Mitchell is on his outside, but Earl’s is the crucial error:

To the second Test, and another mix-up that Tele’a pounces upon:

Maro Itoje and Feyi-Waboso are the men to watch:

Itoje burrows into the breakdown rather than covering the far side and Feyi-Waboso does not fill in quickly enough:

More iffy decisions would bring about New Zealand’s second try as England fall into a trap. First, watch the try through:

Rewinding a minute or so, note Anton Lienert-Brown as the visitors attempt to play away from their own 22:

When Mitchell clears a phase late, he is out of shot. This is because he has migrated to the touchline:

Mitchell does not find touch, and McKenzie sends another kick-pass over Freeman to Lienert-Brown:

England’s scramble was a feature of this series and they respond well initially with Marcus Smith covering across to tackle Lienert-Brown. But track Freeman, Henry Slade, Earl, Itoje and Mitchell from here:

Along with Smith, six England players end up around the next ruck:

Once the All Blacks emerge with possession, despite Freeman, Earl and Slade all joining Smith in the breakdown, the defence is in grave danger.

Fin Baxter and Dan Cole already look vulnerable on this next phase:

Two rucks later, thanks in no small part to the breakdown on the near touchline a few seconds earlier, Baxter is on the wing. Even then, Freddie Steward drifts rather than blitzing…

…giving Beauden Barrett a huge hole to glide into:

To reiterate, these four tries should not be used as evidence that the blitz should be ditched, even if mistakes did crop up. Missed tackles and poor decisions around the ruck are not the fault of a system. They can be refined. Other moments underlined the value of the blitz.

The case to keep blitzing

Just before half-time of the first Test, the All Blacks suffered a bout of hubris. From a scrum inside their own half, they move the ball towards the far wing…

…and aim to outmanoeuvre England. No ground is made and, over a minute later, the hosts have been forced behind their own 10-metre line:

Earl and Chandler Cunningham-South press up and cut down Scott Barrett, presenting a jackalling opportunity to Ollie Lawrence. The centre swoops and earns a penalty:

It was always going to be fascinating to see how the teams would play in the second Test of this series, with the benefit of a week to study their opponents. England’s response was to double-down on the blitz.

Look how narrow Feyi-Waboso is from this line-out, the All Blacks’ first set piece of the second match:

New Zealand look to outflank the front line, but Feyi-Waboso readjusts. As Steward pushes up from the back-field to join him, he tackles Perofeta and forces a turnover. England gain around 30 metres:

Scrambling is another hallmark of the blitz. It is a necessary facet of the system – because players must circle back to cover teammates that shoot up – but also demonstrates togetherness and investment in the coaches. England have become excellent in this area.

New Zealand break here after a poor sequence of play from England as Smith hoists a high ball with just Itoje and Earl chasing:

Steward and Smith rescue the situation. The former tracks tirelessly, forcing Tele’a to make one more pass, and Smith snaffles the interception:

It was no coincidence that the All Blacks only scored close to the touchlines and converted just one of their four tries. England made them work extremely hard – and not just out wide.

Here, half an hour into the first Test, watch Earl. George Martin is too slow to pressurise McKenzie and Cunningham-South does not jam in quickly enough, leaving a hole for Scott Barrett:

Earl readjusts superbly:

Undoubtedly, teams can put themselves in compromising positions with a blitz system. But, as former South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber has explained, a good stretch of matches is needed for the nuances to become instinctive. The Springboks have put faith in the blitz for two successful World Cup campaigns. They remain destructive and stingy under defence coach Jerry Flannery.

It appears as though England had acclimatised to its demands. Surely, they do not want to waste such progress.

Personnel, alignment and areas to target

Clearly, specific attributes help the execution of a blitz. Teams would want tough, mobile forwards, intuitive centres and agile wings capable of accelerating and changing direction sharply.

Feyi-Waboso and Ollie Sleightholme suit those wing responsibilities perfectly and Freeman has become noticeably more proactive, reading play and shooting in for robust tackles.

It felt significant that El-Abd mentioned Fraser Dingwall, who could combine with Lawrence in the same way that Slade has – by attacking at 12 and leading the defensive line from 13.

Dingwall is renowned as a defensive leader for Northampton Saints. His last England appearance was the 16-14 win over Wales and he was prominent in the stand that ended the game. Here, he shoots up to slow Nick Tompkins before Itoje completes the tackle:

Moments later, he identifies Cameron Winnett as a key passer and darts through red shirts to hassle the Wales full-back. Winnett escapes Dingwall, but throws a rushed pass well behind the gain-line:

Forced back towards their 22, Wales eventually kick away possession. Though he lost his spot in the team, Dingwall was in camp for the remainder of the Six Nations and toured Japan and New Zealand. Borthwick trusts his training sessions to improve players and tends to pick the next cab off the rank in selection.

Luke Northmore is being groomed as a possible 13 and Alex Lozowski, leading a more aggressive Saracens line, has been called up. Joe Marchant could return to England before the next World Cup as well.

Now, El-Abd has hinted that he will only tweak what is already in place. And we know that England value the blitz from their interest in Norman Laker, the Stormers defence coach who is an associate of Nienaber.

It also seems telling that Haydn Thomas, seconded from Exeter Chiefs to England Under-20s, will oversee defence for England A this season. This looks to be a bid for alignment up the pathway, so that players are ready to join the senior side and slot into the defensive system.

Discipline was another area that El-Abd highlighted on Tuesday and this certainly could boost the blitz. England conceded 23 penalties in New Zealand, nine of them while the All Blacks were in possession – not including those that presented advantage without being whistled.

This one, conceded by Earl for an overeager jackal, was avoidable:

El-Abd has already impressed players with his enthusiasm, but England should target at least three wins this autumn. With a home crowd to stir, retaining the blitz – or whatever they want to call it – can fire them to new heights.