Steve Borthwick’s side lack discipline and the kicking game they are wedded to is being dreadfully executedWhere do England go from here? The only logical answer is home from the World Cup early. Try as they might, they just cannot escape the eye of the storm. That which has swirled around Owen Farrell all week – and will continue to do so at the start of next – has been tempestuous to say the least and on Friday, Dublin was battered by Storm Betty for good measure. There was no let up on the field either from Ireland, who barely got out of second gear, and Billy Vunipola’s red card only adds to the sense of chaos engulfing their World...
Captain’s likely absence from start of World Cup highlights a weary familiarity hanging over team showing no sense of momentumSo here we go again. Owen Farrell in high shoulder charge trouble? Tick. England flattering mostly only to deceive? Tick. Injuries and unavailability threatening to disrupt their World Cup? Tick. Tick. They may have finally won a match but, in truth, an air of weary Groundhog Day familiarity hangs over English rugby that extends well beyond the length of ban awaiting their national captain before next month’s global tournament.Farrell will certainly be experiencing a powerful sense of deja vu as he awaits the verdict on Tuesday, which is almost certain to sideline him from his team’s keynote opening pool game in...
Steve Borthwick is facing a major headache with his talismanic captain expected to be banned for the start of tournamentOwen Farrell’s critics – and he has always had his fair share – will say it has been a matter of time but had Steve Borthwick made a list of scenarios to be avoided at all costs for this block of World Cup warm-up matches, a red card for his captain for a high tackle would have been top of it. Farrell is facing a ban at a disciplinary hearing that will almost certainly rule him out of the start of the World Cup. Mitigation will be limited given his previous and as he has already attended tackle school he cannot...
The pressure is growing on Steve Borthwick to get more out of the crowd-pleasing talents that undoubtedly exist with his squadWith four weeks to go until the Rugby World Cup kicks off, the pressure is starting to ratchet up. Not in terms of warm-up results per se, but in how teams are looking to attack. This tournament is unlikely to be won by sides simply content to sit back and wait for opponents to make mistakes. On firm, dry pitches a cutting edge of some description, from first phase as well as turnover ball, is going to be essential.In Australia Eddie Jones has clearly decided his Wallabies need further sharpening. Having dropped the experienced Quade Cooper and Michael Hooper, he...
Wales have some wind in their sails after Cardiff victory but time is running out for visitors to find a winning formulaIf the old adage goes that you cannot win the World Cup during the warm-ups but you can lose it, Steve Borthwick can console himself that this disappointing defeat need not be terminal. There is no need to overly panic after what goes down as a third loss in a row and a fourth in six under Borthwick. But after insisting his players stick to the script, rather than worrying about Monday’s squad announcement, you have to wonder if it needs rewriting.For the most worrying aspect – other than the dreadfully misfiring lineout – is that it was not...