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...
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...
The fly-half debate will rage on after Marcus Smith failed in conditions that George Ford would have been better suited forThere is something very English about fly-halves being hung out to dry in the rain. England did not lose this match because of Marcus Smith, rather they were thumped by a fabulous France team who ruthlessly exposed the limits of Steve Borthwick’s side and gave an exhibition in how to handle the heavens opening. Still, the cold hard facts are that Smith did not deliver the statement performance he was expected to and England’s fly-half debate rages on. The biggest call of Borthwick’s tenure to date can unequivocally be called the most damning of failures.All the more so when you...
The former Wasps flanker has had a rough couple of years but roared back with a standout performance at TwickenhamNearly two and a half years ago England claimed a dominant victory here against Georgia in the best-forgotten Autumn Nations Cup. It was a match memorable for little other than England handing first Test starts to Jack Willis and Ollie Lawrence and proceeding to maul their opposition to death. So much has changed in the ensuing years and months – not least both players losing their jobs – yet equally, there are considerable parallels to this victory over Italy that represent a smallish step in the right direction for England under Steve Borthwick.Both Willis – who was making his first start...