CHRIS FOY: No England progress, just total failure – but all we will get will be a whitewash review

Stand by for another mock review. The RFU will find a creative way to endorse failure. It will be a whitewash – unlike England’s autumn campaign, which was anything but.

The union hierarchy will once again be convinced that progress is real, rather than imagined, but no one outside the ivory towers of Twickenham believes in it anymore. One win from four November tests and the worst annual return since 2008. Explain that.

In keeping with now-familiar routine, Eddie Jones will claim everything will be fine going into the World Cup, but supporters are fed up with the development story. They now want to see England win test matches.

England head coach Eddie Jones insists everything will be fine by the World Cup

England continue to lose and talk fondly of how much good it will do them. When exactly?

The benefits are not yet clear. Outside of the circled wagons, no one wants or accepts this burden of future over present – and this insistence that it takes months and years to build a cohesive, winning team.

South Africa showed up without a raft of their leading men on Saturday and won by a straight. It wasn’t even close. They had to reorganize due to injuries and player release issues – they even had a player sent off – and look what they’ve achieved. The Springboks controlled the contact areas and ran amok when the opportunities presented themselves.

Now that’s what you call real, tangible progress. After losing – narrowly – to Ireland and France, they turned their tour around despite the distraction of another suspension for rugby director Rassie Erasmus. They defeated Italy in Genoa and then overshadowed England in every facet of the game.

The Boks are so often derided as boring, but look how Damian Willemse, Willie Le Roux and the electric Kurt-Lee Arendse cut open the home defence. South Africa were the ones who relieved Twickenham, not England – as promised.

England trudge off the field after their embarrassing 13-27 defeat to South Africa on Saturday

Sadly England was all spill and no thrills. Their lack of fluency after five weeks together was alarming and disproved the official view that precious time in camp makes all the difference. The hosts were defeated in the set piece and also lost their air power. Even Freddie Stewart can have an off-day, it turns out.

There were lineout wobbles, missed tackles, loose or lost passes, and too many aimless kicks. England again failed to launch Manu Tuilagi on the attack. Towards the end, against 14 men, they were unable to pull off a basic passing move without any pressure. What a mess. Call that progress?

The Jones players may train the house privately and have a great bond, but none of that matters when the product on the field is so inadequate.

Of course it is essential that they are united behind the scenes and there is no point that the beleaguered head coach has lost the locker room. His squad seems sincere, fiercely committed to the cause, but they are not deployed in a force that reflects their collective quality.

Jones will ignore the backlash, but his selections and strategy will come under scrutiny again

Before there are claims of a media witch hunt, let’s nip that in the bud. Criticizing gifted, dedicated players is not a joyful pursuit. And Jones – perceptions notwithstanding – is a compelling figure, even when the flak is flying.

Working for him seems like an uncomfortable existence that should come with a health warning, but he remains passionate and driven, and time in his company is often entertaining and energizing.

But it’s not character assassination to say this setup doesn’t work. There is no longer a belief across the country that the current regime is getting the best out of the talent at their disposal.

The RFU’s corridors need some extra soundproofing so they can block out the noise of the growing unrest in the counties.

England only recorded one win from four home games during the autumn campaign

England fans are largely tolerant people, so the boos at the end reflected a loss of patience that had been going on for some time given two successive, disastrous Six Nations campaigns. The next annual championship looms in 10 weeks and at this point England seems destined for another grim ordeal.

France and Ireland are miles ahead of them. The gap has widened even further.

If it really takes that long to create a truly connected and functional cross-functional team, then the game is in big trouble. It shouldn’t be such an arduous task to mold the country’s cream of the crop into a formidable fighting force.

Club form is only a limited guide to what players can achieve at international level, but it is still shocking to see high class individuals struggle so hard weeks after reporting for England with their tails up.

Some events at Twickenham were bad for rugby as a whole, as well as for England

Marcus Smith arrived in Sale after a stunning masterclass for Harlequins and Owen Farrell was imperious in the opening month of the season with Saracens. Time in the test environment should improve players, not diminish them.

Jones will ignore the backlash, but his selections and strategy will come under scrutiny again.

If he is going to team up with two playmakers on 10 and 12, he has to let them play. And if he wants to continue with Tuilagi, he’ll have to find better ways to let him go. The decision to rotate the front row didn’t work and neither did Alex Coles’ promotion to David Ribbans.

Saturday’s game was an often miserable spectacle. Scrum resets are a scourge of the sport. Some events at Twickenham were bad for rugby as a whole, as well as for England. Stop, start, stop, start. Drinking breaks. Lectures. Boredom.

Spectators won’t continue to pay a fortune to see a national team and packs of attackers collapse in a heap.