LONDON :England finished last year’s Autumn series with a win over Japan to end a run of five defeats, with coach Steve Borthwick promising the good times were just around the corner, and a year on it seems he knew what he was talking about.
They began 2025 with defeat by Ireland, but have since gone on impressive 11-match winning run that, ahead of next month’s 2027 World Cup draw, has lifted them to third in the rankings behind New Zealand and runaway leaders South Africa.
Sunday’s 27-23 victory over Argentina completed a clean sweep of four Autumn Internationals for the first time since 2016 – Eddie Jones’s first year in charge.
It was probably the least impressive of the four, however, after beating Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, but the fact they held off a late Puma fightback was indicative of the team’s development.
“I’m pleased with the results, pleased with many aspects of the performance… we found a way to win,” Borthwick said after Sunday’s game, in which England raced to a 17-0 lead but finished defending a lineout on their own five-metre line with the clock in the red.
“I think we’ve seen growth in some areas. I think there’s plenty of things to work upon as well. As I said at the time (a year ago), sometimes you’ve got to go through some tight losses to understand how to actually convert into wins with a young side. That’s what the team’s doing.
“The depth is building as is the number of games these guys are playing together and the experience level is also increasing.”
BORTHWICK HAS OPTIONS
Borthwick has done a terrific job in getting a wide selection of players on the pitch over the last two years and now does have real choices in a number of key positions.
Even the midfield – a perennial issue for England since the glory days of the 2003 World Cup – is developing options, as Max Ojomoh responded to his unexpected late call-up with a man-of-the-match performance in his second cap against Argentina.
England should hit the ground running in the Six Nations when they host Wales on February 7, before going away to Scotland, hosting Ireland and finishing on the road to Italy and France as they chase a first title since 2020.
“I’ll go in and study this period hard and make sure we’re really clear on what we’re going to get better at coming to Six Nations,” Borthwick said.
“The message I think the players will see is that the team is developing the way we said it would. There’s plenty of work still to be done, but we are excited about the potential of the team moving forward.”
Fullback Freddie Steward echoed those thoughts.
“When we were in that tough patch, it was only fine margins. The whole time we were saying, ‘we’re not far away, we’re close’. Now, we’ve learned how to win and how to come out on the right side of those games,” he said.
“You look at the quality of the bench. You’ve got Lions there coming on to try to win the game and that’s been a massive part of our strategy.
“The depth we have now is phenomenal. With the competitiveness in the squad, everyone is fighting for their shirt and that’s bringing the best out of everyone.”
