by It says everything about Steve Borthwick that come Monday morning, when most international coaches would be taking a breather after two months in the thick of the Six Nations battle, the England boss will instead board a flight to New Zealand to begin preparations for a summer trip. . Family time can await Borthwick as he begins to implement a performance program that he hopes will lead to the All Blacks in July.
The work never stops for Borthwick, who left this championship very motivated, even before a thorough review to come. There was a strange atmosphere around the England squad in the hours after their victory over France in Lyon, a squad that was beaten on the night but progressing overall after a tournament in which they have made significant progress. They managed to back up a superb performance against Ireland, finding a way to seize control after a slow start, and although Thomas Ramos had the final say in these Six Nations, England have plenty to say.
“I think the team has made progress,” said analyst Borthwick. “I’m happy to build some cohesion within the team. I’ve gone back and looked at the level of continuity of the team and the players playing together over the last World Cup cycle, and we were relatively low in the world in terms of that continuity.
“What I will do with this next period is to maintain the continuity in the selection to give players time to understand, to give players the opportunity to play together and learn what it is like to play with them.
“There will be mistakes. We just have to learn faster than anyone else. One of the signs is to see a team that learns very quickly. We were disappointed with what we did at Murrayfield and we have learned very quickly from that. I told the players that we will learn very quickly from this defeat so that we can turn it around and get the win we need when we are in this situation again – and we will undoubtedly be.”
Due to their victory in the Calcutta Cup England were never able to properly challenge for the championship but they proved to themselves and their supporters that they can go hand in hand with the best teams in this competition. The semi-final near miss against South Africa inspired a sense of direction but there were still some who feared Borthwick might struggle to take the side beyond that hyper-specific spoiling strategy; in these Six Nations, they have shown that they are capable of evolution.
Although Ireland’s tour de force is the most obvious example, Saturday’s narrow victory may have shown the adaptability England will need to become one of the best teams in the world. They began to try to tear France into a stupor, restricting the contest and creating stops at every opportunity. It was a stark contrast to Ireland’s all-out intensity, but when the time came to flick the switch, England were able to, three tries in seven minutes either side of half-time showing their attacking prowess.
“We talked about just coming out of the blocks and actually taking it to France,” representative Ollie Lawrence said of the change of heart at the time. “We managed to get a bit of reward from that with a couple of tries but unfortunately we couldn’t keep it at the end. But it was an extremely well-intentioned attack.”
The attack has taken a long time to come together this campaign but George Furbank has added an extra counter-attacking threat, while Marcus Smith showed both flashes and flaws when he returned to full-back against France. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso looks poised for stardom on the wing, while midfield Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade look remarkably balanced, although England may want more from their experienced centre-forward. Ben Earl, one of the players of the tournament, did well in a freer role, aided by the presence of three long-arm locks in the front end to do some of the dirty work.
Borthwick is expected to take a relatively settled squad to New Zealand, although Manu Tuilagi may have played his last game in England and Danny Care’s career feels like it has come to a natural end. Tom Curry’s ongoing injury problems are a major concern but Sam Underhill has managed five clean sheets, which is a huge positive for a player who has rediscovered his worth at Test level. The reliance on Dan Cole and Joe Marler may not be great at this point but some young props are starting to emerge.
Defensively, Felix Jones’ system will continue to give opportunities to the best opposition but it has started to work as expected, flooding Scotland, Ireland and France in patents. It will take time to fully realize it, but for Ireland’s first World Cup-winning campaign, England wouldn’t have expected much more. With Kevin Sinfield on the way after England’s summer deal, Borthwick may be looking for additions to his squad. The head coach has suggested that four assistants offer the right mix of wide-ranging expertise while still retaining his preferred tight-knit circle – experienced head attack coach Richard Wigglesworth could be a wise hire.
Not everyone was happy with Borthwick’s English championship, with matters off the field more of a concern than those on it. Protracted negotiations continue on the Professional Games Partnership (PGP) which will be implemented in the summer and will shape the future of English rugby, including the introduction of improved EPS contracts which will give closer control to a group of senior players.
There has been frustration at the start of this campaign due to the lack of a joined-up approach between clubs and the country when it comes to injury monitoring. The lack of action in the Premier League during the competition is a positive, and it has given Borthwick extra players in camp, but he still wants more.
“We started the competition with some players who were not available for selection – and we need our players to be available,” explained the former lock. “You can see now that development is taking place with the Premiership. You can see that the standard is improving and the players are more ready for test rugby. Going forward we have to make sure when we have a Test coming up that those players are available and fit from the start of the tournament.”
The run-up to the Premier League looks set to be hectic and hard-fought, with a top crop of contenders sure to claim a trip to Japan and New Zealand. But where he and his predecessor have searched for the individuals to create the stock of this England side, anyone who comes in now would be an extra limb to extend their canopy. The progress made by the absences of Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes this year has hardly gone unnoticed.
Is there enough here to provide a sustained challenge to the quartet that clearly emerged ahead of the World Cup? The All Blacks will provide an opportunity to answer that question. Ten years have passed since England last landed in Aotearoa, preserving the magic and mystery of a tour that remains the toughest test in men’s rugby. But Borthwick will travel south with faith and determination – his England project is on the right track.
