Steve Borthwick believes the England jersey is a heavy burden for his players as they try to salvage their Six Nations clash against Ireland on Saturday, and suggests inconsistent team selections during Eddie Jones’ reign is a contributing factor.
As England prepare to face what Borthwick believes is “the best team in the world”, the head coach has made three changes from the team that lost 30-21 to Scotland last time out; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso makes the first start and Alex Mitchell and George Martin come into the team.
Borthwick could go further but Marcus Smith is considered ready to feature on the bench after returning from a calf injury, while George Furbank remains at full-back with Freddie Steward omitted again. Instead, the head coach emphasized the importance of “continuity of selection” as he sought to ease the burden on his players.
Relating to: ‘I couldn’t tell you what we are:’ England’s search for identity continues | Gerard Meagher
It’s a telling statement, coming shortly after former England winger Jonny May revealed the concern behind the scenes with players worrying about their places on a weekly basis, but Borthwick has been in an unchanged starting XV only once during his tenure. He named it i. and at the back only George Ford and Henry Slade have been permanent fixtures in this Six Nations.
“We know there were mistakes against Scotland,” Borthwick said. Probably for the first time in a long time, I saw that the weight of the jersey was heavy on the players. As a player and in the teams I have been a part of, I have seen many players feel the weight of that jersey and feel that the team is being scrutinised.
“The environment we want to create is supportive of the players and we recognize that mistakes happen. What I’m after is a response to that. What do we learn from this? How quickly can we move on from this? If you look at the game this weekend, it’s a game that will lift you up. It’s a great Twickenham to fuel the team.” “It’s a great game that will bring together every ounce of energy and fight in the players, at a time when you will be tested against the best team in the world.”
Asked how he can handle the burden on his players, Borthwick added: “I think we’re trying to create an environment where the players enjoy it, where we know mistakes will be made, but it’s about continuing to do the right things. I support the players. Yes, we’ve made mistakes.” [against Scotland]We were disappointed with the performance and outcome. But I also think these players have made huge progress over the last year and now we have started the next step of the journey in this Six Nations.
“The continuity of elections is an important factor. Looking back on this, the continuity of selection over the last few years hasn’t always been that obvious as a potential and making lots of changes on a regular basis hasn’t always helped the team.
“I’ve looked closely at what’s happened to the England team in previous periods. I’ve looked closely at it and compared it. Things like continuity and cohesion of selection. We can all see that sometimes that’s not the case. When they have a dominant club team and they have a lot of players from the same team, England’s overall “You can see that he is performing well.”
Meanwhile, Ireland welcome back Hugo Keenan against England but will leave James Ryan at lock for the remainder of the Six Nations. Keenan has recovered from the knee problem that kept him out of the 31-7 win over Wales and replaced Ciaran Frawley in Andy Farrell’s only change to the starting lineup.
Ryan, who has been on the sidelines during the championship, suffered a “freak” biceps injury in training on Wednesday and the second row will miss next week’s final against Scotland as well as away play at Twickenham. Garry Ringrose is fine following a shoulder injury but will have to wait for his first international appearance since the World Cup due to the impressive form of midfield pair Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki.
Ireland, who are chasing back-to-back grand slams with bonus points wins against France, Italy and Wales, can retain their title with a win in south-west London to spare but Farrell warned against any complacency. “I don’t agree with the criticism at all,” he said of England’s performance in the championship so far. “I look at the individuals, the way they play, the coaching staff they have, the plan they have, the amazing team that is prepared to give everything they have on the weekend.
“That makes them incredibly dangerous; we’re just preparing for them to be at their best and if that’s the case it’s going to be a very tough battle. If they’re at their best you’d expect them to be as difficult to beat as anyone in world rugby.”
England
15 George Furbank (Northampton)
14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter)
13 Henry Slade (Exeter)
12 Ollie Lawrence (Bathroom)
11th Tommy Freeman (Northampton)
10 George Ford (Discount)
9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton)
one Ellis Genge (Bristol)
2 Jamie George (Sarakans)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester)
4 Maro Itoje (Sarakans)
5 George Martin (Leicester)
6 Ollie Chess (Leicester)
7 Sam Underhill (Bathhouse)
8 Ben Earl (Saracens)
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan (Saracens) 17 Joe Marler (Harlequins) 18 Will Stuart (Bathroom) 19 Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins) 20 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins) 21 Danny Care (Harlequins) 22 Marcus Smith (Harlequins) 23 Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Ireland
15 Hugo Keenan (Leinster)
14 Calvin Nash (Münster)
13 Robbie Henshaw (Leinster)
12 Bundee Aki (Connacht)
11th James Lowe (Leinster)
10 Jack Crowley (Münster)
9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)
one Andrew Porter (Leinster)
2 Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
3 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)
4 Joe McCarthy (Leinster)
5 Tadhg Beirne (Münster)
6 Peter O’Mahony (Münster)
7 Josh van der Flier (Leinster)
8 Caelan Doris (Leinster)
Replacements
16 Ronan Kelleher (Leinster) 17 Cian Healy (Leinster) 18 Finlay Bealham (Connacht) 19 Iain Henderson (Ulster) 20 Ryan Baird (Leinster) 21 Jack Conan (Leinster) 22 Conor Murray (Münster) 23 Ciaran Frawley (Leinster)
Meanwhile, Ireland welcome back Hugo Keenan against England but will remain without lock James Ryan for the remainder of the Six Nations. Keenan has recovered from the knee problem that kept him out of the 31-7 win against Wales and replaced Ciaran Frawley in Andy Farrell’s only change to the starting lineup.
Relegated to a secondary role during the Championship, Ryan suffered a “freak” biceps injury in training on Wednesday and the second row will miss next week’s final against Scotland as well as the trip to Twickenham. Garry Ringrose is fine following a shoulder injury but will have to wait for his first international appearance since the World Cup due to the impressive form of midfield pair Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki.
Ireland, who are chasing back-to-back grand slams with bonus points wins over France, Italy and Wales, can retain their title with a win in south-west London to spare but Farrell warned against any complacency. “I don’t agree with the criticism at all,” he said of England’s performance in the championship so far. “I look at the individuals, the way they play, the coaching staff they have, the plan they have, the amazing team prepared to give everything they have on the weekend.
“That makes them incredibly dangerous; we’re just preparing for them to be at their best and if that’s the case it’s going to be a very tough battle. If they’re at their best you’d expect them to be as difficult to beat as anyone in world rugby.”