Steve Borthwick has challenged England to relinquish the title of Six Nations series underdogs after the head coach was given a fitness boost in the final round of Champions Cup matches.
Several players suffered bumps and bruises over the weekend as six England teams qualified for the knockout qualifiers, but Borthwick believes England will have plenty of players to choose from in their opening Guinness Six Nations match against Italy in Rome on February 3.
England have won just 50 per cent of matches in the last six Six Nations campaigns and won just two games in each of the last three tournaments. Borthwick openly admits that they have failed to meet their fans’ expectations and have fallen behind France and Ireland.
But Borthwick, who finished third behind the other Six Nations teams at the last World Cup, wants England to start this campaign with a statement of intent against Italy. “We want to make sure this England team competes in every game, which is not something that can be said about the team in recent years,” Borthwick said. “Fans’ expectations are much higher than what the team has achieved, and rightly so.
“The team is really aware that we haven’t performed in the Six Nations for a while. Ireland and France were the dominant teams and everyone is trying to compete with those two teams.
“There has been a lot of talk about England before the tournament in the past but England failed to deliver. Our aim is to hit the field in Rome with the intensity we want and the way we want, which is also something England have not done in recent years.
“We want this to be a different mentality for England, a different way of approaching the game and the tournament. We will also approach our camp in Girona differently. We are taking a different approach because we need different results from previous tournaments.”
Although many England players were unable to play or suffered fears over the weekend, Borthwick believes there are no new injuries in his squad. Winger Sam Underhill missed Bath’s game against Toulouse with an ankle injury and will undergo a modified training program at a warm-weather camp in Girona this week, while fellow back-rower Ben Curry is expected to miss Sale’s defeat to La Rochelle. will start training. with a rolled ankle.
Leicester second-row Ollie Chessum failed a head injury assessment (HIA) but passed his second concussion test following the home defeat to Leinster, while Borthwick awaited more information on Harlequins center Oscar Beard, who failed his HIA against Ulster.
Borthwick was still collecting all the fitness reports heading into the Six Nations media launch on Monday morning and was disappointed with the flow of information coming from Premiership clubs.
“One of the challenges of the Last Six Nations was that the reporting systems between club and country were not what they needed to be and next year they weren’t what they needed to be either, but nothing has changed from last year to this year,” Borthwick said. “We will be in a better position next year when we improve EPS. “We’re currently dealing with information that we’re not aware of as quickly as possible, which is disappointing but we’ll just have to keep doing it as best we can.”
George: Farrell captaincy ‘one of the first people I told’
New England captain Jamie George has revealed that his predecessor Owen Farrell was one of the first people he talked to about taking over.
George added that the couple had become “very, very close” since their time together with Saracens and England, and revealed that Farrell had told him he would always be there to give advice.
”[Farrell] “He told me that if I needed anything he was the first person I should call and that he would always be there to chat,” George explained. “That means a lot to me. “We have worked together for a very long time and I have been his assistant captain at Saracens for a very long time.”
Farrell stepped back from his England duties following the Rugby World Cup to prioritize his and his family’s mental health, and his future in England remains uncertain as he is linked with a move to join Racing 92.
Addressing whether he had similar concerns about the pressures of the role, George hoped that lessons had been learned from the criticism directed at Farrell in recent years.
“I hope that we have learned a lot of lessons from Owen’s situation and that many people have a better understanding of the reality of life, the reality of professional rugby players, that we are all human. So I’m hopeful that there will be a much more positive environment in which I can work.”
George added that he was weighing the consequences of taking on the role after Farrell’s experience, but the enormity of taking his country to Italy and beyond was overwhelming. The British prostitute, who was first offered the role by Borthwick, took the weekend to consult with family members, but compared the moment Borthwick asked her for a marriage proposal.
“I wanted to pull his hand away at the time and say yes, but it was nice to be able to talk to my family over the weekend and get their thoughts on it. I called him first thing on Monday to get him to agree,” George explained.
“This is the greatest achievement of my life. Stepping onto the field in Rome will be one of the best moments I have ever experienced.
“And I felt like it was a decision I would definitely regret had I turned it down for other reasons. I feel like I’m at a good stage of my career to move up and take on this job.”
One positive development has been the impact made by new defense coach Felix Jones; Jones joined the England squad after winning two Rugby World Cups with South Africa.
“I’ve had a meeting and I know for a fact that the England defense will take up a lot of time and space from the opposition. It’s pretty exciting how aggressive we plan to be. Add that to the quality of the players we have and it’s going to be a fantastic Six Nations.”