LONDON, March 13 : England will run out in Paris on Saturday seemingly as the extras in France’s spectacular title show but, despite their dire displays in the last three games, history shows they are more than capable of being the ultimate party poopers.
Steve Borthwick’s three-year reign has been a roller-coaster ride, with doom and gloom regularly alleviated by joy – but not for long.
When England lost to Wales, Ireland, and Fiji at home, in World Cup warm-up games in August 2023, they arrived at the tournament with few expectations outside the camp.
Things switched spectacularly, though, in their opening pool game in Marseille, when, despite losing Tom Curry to a third-minute red card, they overwhelmed higher-ranked Argentina as George Ford kicked them to a defining 27-10 win.
Borthwick, the ultimate stats-driven pragmatist, had found a game plan that he could implement at short notice and though they hardly tore up trees through the tournament, England were within two minutes of beating eventual champions South Africa in the semi-finals and finished third.
A decent Six Nations followed but a tough 33-31 point loss to France in their final game turned out to be the start of a run of seven successive defeats against Tier One teams – albeit four by New Zealand and South Africa.
They ended that streak with a last-minute victory over France in the 2025 Six Nations, and won their next 11 games, peaking with a first home win over the All Blacks since 2012.
That sent England into this year’s Championship with high hopes of a first title since 2020 but, after dismantling Wales in their first game, everything has fallen apart.
The 31-20 defeat by Scotland was poor but, instead of the expected bounce back on home soil, they were utterly dismantled as Ireland chalked up a record 42-21 victory.
Then came a first-ever defeat by Italy, despite England leading 18-10 with 20 minutes to go and the hosts a man down in Rome.
MANNER OF LOSSES
Another defeat on Saturday would make it the first time England have lost four games since the Championship was expanded in 2000 but the concerns are more centred on the manner of losses. The enterprising play on show in many of those 12 wins has evaporated in a return to Borthwick’s original “kick and hope” approach.
The statistics paint a grim picture. England have kicked the ball from hand more than any other team but after the Wales game have far too often failed to regain it.
The lack of points from repeated visits to the opposition 22, where they top the table for handling errors, inexplicable tactical decisions and eight yellow cards have left them reeling.
Similarly significant is their defensive implosion, with 18 missed tackles in wide channels leading to a try or a break in the last three rounds – compared with four by Scotland, six for Ireland and nine for France.
Borthwick, however, refuses to accept that he has applied a straitjacket to his players.
“I want the players to play fast rugby, I want the ball to move, I want them to be brave,” he said this week, to widespread lifting of eyebrows from people who have watched anything but that in the last month.
More of the same seems highly unlikely to unsettle France on a Saturday evening in Paris with the title up for grabs, yet Borthwick’s knack of dousing the flames just as the roof is about to fall in might yet provide a final twist in this unpredictable Six Nations.
