LONDON :When England famously beat New Zealand in 2003 with 13 men and won in Australia for the first time it gave the squad an unswerving belief that they could beat anybody, and months later they won the World Cup for the first time.
Now, having beaten New Zealand 33-19 on Saturday after three narrow defeats last year and taking their winning run to 10, there is growing belief that they are equipped to make a serious assault on a second World Cup title back in Australia in 2027.
It was England’s first victory over the All Blacks since the 2019 World Cup semi-final, arguably their greatest-ever performance, and their first at home since Manu Tuilagi ran riot in 2012.
They lost in the 2019 final to South Africa and, against all odds, new coach Borthwick took his team to within minutes of a return before losing by a point to the Springboks in the 2023 semis.
There was then a fair amount of pain, and criticism, as he tried to find ways to win in different styles, while building squad depth.
The project took a considerable step forward on Saturday when he was able to bring Six British and Irish Lions off the bench to finish off a match in a situation that last year was routinely getting away from them.
“There were a lot of positives from that, a lot of things that the players can be rightly proud of,” Borthwick told reporters.
“You knew there were going to be tough times playing against a top-quality team in New Zealand but they were so composed.
“It’s a team that’s developing, a team that’s growing. I said that at the time (last year) that it’s a team that needs experience together and that’s exactly what they’re doing each time – go away each week and train really hard and being focused on what to improve and that’s showing on the pitch.
“The team has a lot of belief – in our preparation, in the way we are trying to play and in the ability we have within the team.”
Asked about the relevance of the victory for England’s World Cup prospects and next month’s draw, Borthwick played it down, describing how captain Maro Itoje had addressed the squad before the game.
ITOJE SPOKE ABOUT SPECIAL MOMENTS
“He talked about when the team were 14, 15-years-old, dreaming of playing for England against teams like New Zealand, dreaming of beating teams like New Zealand,” he said.
“He asked the players to go out and play with that intent and the boys took those dreams on to the pitch today, and I thought they were outstanding.
“About the World Cup draw, it helps, but this isn’t about that. This is about trying to achieve special moments, special memories. Today is one of them.”
Borthwick had high praise for man-of-the-match flyhalf George Ford, whose two drop goals late in the first half helped England recover from 12-0 down to 12-11 and he landed a late penalty to take them two scores ahead.
“George Ford is a brilliant player. I think he’s an outstanding leader and an even better person,” Borthwick said.
“I know you like to talk about, 12 months ago, a ball hitting a post (when his penalty missed enabled New Zealand to hang on to a two-point win) but when he pulls on the England shirt, he’s just such a consistent performer.
“I’m delighted for him and all the players and they should enjoy themselves tonight and then recover well because we’ve got Argentina a week on Sunday.”
