It says everything about Steve Borthwick that on Monday morning, when most international coaches would rightly be gasping for breath after two months in the thick of the Six Nations battle, the England boss will instead board a flight to New Zealand to to start preparations for his team’s summer tour. . Family time can wait for Borthwick as he begins to put together a performance program he hopes can be brought to the All Blacks in July.
The work never stops for Borthwick, who left this championship hugely encouraged even before a thorough review could take place. There was a strange atmosphere around the England side in the hours after their defeat by France in Lyon, a side defeated on the night but on the whole emerging from a tournament in which they have made significant progress. They rose to the challenge of backing up an excellent performance against Ireland and finding a way to take control after a slow start, and although Thomas Ramos has had the final say in this Six Nations, England have plenty to cheer.
“I think the team has made progress,” surmised an analytical Borthwick. “I’m happy that I was able to build some cohesion within the team. I went back and looked at the level of continuity of the team and the players who played together in the last World Cup cycle, and we were pretty low in the world in terms of that continuity.
“What I will be doing in the near future is continuing to build continuity in the squad to give players time to understand, give players the opportunity to play alongside each other and learn what it is like to play with them to play.
“Mistakes will be made. We just have to learn faster than anyone else. One of the signs is that there is a team that learns very quickly. We were disappointed with what we did at Murrayfield and we learned from that very quickly. I said to the players that we will learn from this defeat very quickly so that if we find ourselves in this situation again – and we undoubtedly will – we can convert it and get the victory we want.”
That defeat in the Calcutta Cup meant England could never really mount a genuine championship challenge, but they proved to themselves and their supporters that they can go toe-to-toe with the top teams in this tournament. The near-miss in the semi-final against South Africa provided a sense of direction, but there were still those who feared Borthwick would struggle to pick the side beyond that hyper-specific spoiling strategy; in this Six Nations they have shown the ability to evolve.
While Ireland’s tour de force is the most obvious example, it was perhaps Saturday’s narrow defeat that showed the adaptability England need to become one of the best sides in the world. They tried to strangle France into a stupor, to limit the fighting and to grind to a halt at every opportunity. It was in stark contrast to the overall intensity of Ireland’s performance, but when it came time to flick the switch, England succeeded. Three tries in seven minutes either side of half-time showed their attacking potential.
“We talked about getting out of the blocks and really taking it to France,” center Ollie Lawrence said of the change in mentality during the break. “With a few attempts we managed to get some reward from that, but in the end we unfortunately couldn’t stop it. But it was a really good offensive intention.”
The attack has taken a while to come together this season, but George Furbank has added an extra threat on the counter-attack, while Marcus Smith showed both flashes and flaws in his return at wing-back against France. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso looks primed for stardom on the wing, while the midfield of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade looks nicely balanced, although England may want more from their experienced outside center. Ben Earl, one of the tournament’s featured players, has thrived in a freer role, helped by the presence of three long limbs in the starting side to do some of the dirty work.
Borthwick is expected to bring a relatively established squad to New Zealand, although Manu Tuilagi may have played his last game against England and Danny Care’s career appears to be coming to a natural end. Tom Curry’s ongoing injury problems are a real concern, but Sam Underhill made it through five games intact, a huge positive for a player who found his compensation back at Test levels. The reliance on Dan Cole and Joe Marler may not be ideal right now, but some young props are starting to develop.
Defensively, Felix Jones’ system will continue to offer opportunities to the best opposition, but it is starting to work as hoped, leaving both Scotland, Ireland and France to pieces. It will take some time to fully realize it, but for a first campaign under Ireland’s World Cup winner, England could have hoped for little more. With Kevin Sinfield on his way out of England’s summer activities, Borthwick may be looking to expand his staff. The head coach has suggested that four assistants provide the right mix of broad expertise, while still maintaining the tight inner circle he prefers. Experienced head-to-aid attacking coach Richard Wigglesworth could be a wise addition.
Not everyone was pleased with Borthwick’s English tournament, with matters off the pitch more worrying than those off it. Lengthy negotiations continue over the Professional Game Partnership (PGP), which will be implemented in the summer and will shape English rugby for the foreseeable future, including the introduction of the enhanced EPS contracts that will bring a group of senior players under closer control will bring.
At the start of this campaign there was frustration at the lack of a joint approach between clubs and country on injury monitoring. The lack of Premiership action during the tournament and the extra players it has allowed Borthwick to bring into camp is positive, but he would still like more.
“We started the tournament with a number of players unavailable for selection – and we need our players,” the former lock explained. “You can now see that there is a development in the Premier League. You can see that the level is improving and that the players are more ready for Test rugby. Going forward, we need to ensure that if a test comes up, these players are available and fit from the start of the tournament.”
The build-up to the Premier League looks likely to be hectic and hard-fought, with a host of contenders sure to lay claim to traveling to Japan and New Zealand. But where both he and his predecessor have previously searched for the individuals who would form the tribe of this English side, anyone coming in now would be an extra limb to widen their canopy. That the absences of Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes have hardly gone unnoticed this year is testament to their progress.
Is there enough here to consistently challenge the quartet that was faultless in the run-up to the World Cup? The All Blacks offer an opportunity to answer that question. It’s been ten years since England last touched down in Aotearoa, retaining the magic and mystique of a tour that remains the toughest test in men’s rugby. But Borthwick will travel south with confidence and cheerfulness – his project in England is on track.