England have dispersed for a few days of recharging the batteries at home and, after clinching their second successive win of the Six Nations, have done so with a spring in their step. As Maro Itoje put it after the scrappy victory against Wales on Saturday: “Life is a lot better when you win – you go home with smiles on faces, your family looks at you with smiles and no gloom.”
Steve Borthwick gave the players a day at home last week too and he is evidently mindful of the benefits a little R&R can have. A lot of these players spent five consecutive months in camp last year and it has not been forgotten that Borthwick’s former captain effectively took the decision that representing England was not worth the hassle just a couple of months ago. A huge picture of Owen Farrell still hangs above the entrance to the Twickenham club shop after all.
The squad will reconvene at Twickenham on Wednesday but Borthwick offered some senior players longer off, only to be told that all wanted to regather together. Such commitment says two things: first, it is evidently a happy camp at the moment; and second, despite winning their first two Six Nations matches for the first time since 2019, there is quite clearly a lot of work to do.
That the recent Test retirees Courtney Lawes and Jonny May joined in the backslapping in the dressing room shortly after the victory against Wales only adds to the sense of bonhomie within the squad. Both wins to date have been secured by a total of five points, Borthwick’s side have managed just four tries across the two games and failed to produce anything of sufficient quality to give Ireland, who remain odds-on favourites to successfully defend their title, sleepless nights, but England seem content enough to celebrate the little wins.
On Saturday those included Itoje’s crucial tackle on Ioan Lloyd that led to Ben Earl’s try – via a scrum featuring Sam Underhill at lock and Tommy Freeman at flanker – and George Ford’s expertly measured 50-22 which gave England the field position from which he soon kicked the winning points. Add in Freddie Steward’s aerial superiority as England slipped back into the old tactical habits that took them to the World Cup semi-finals, and the fact that they met the target of seven penalties or fewer – set for the side by Itoje before the game – and Borthwick’s team break for the first rest week believing the glass is half full.
None of the above masks the fact that their attacking efficiency, particularly in the 22, remains frustratingly poor, that again they found themselves behind at half‑time or that you suspect a Wales side with just a few more street smarts would have edged over the finishing line. Nor that England’s two wins have come against the sides they have beaten in the two previous championships, only to lose their other three matches against Scotland, Ireland and France – their three opponents to come.
“Do I think we’re making progress? Yes, I think we’re growing,” Borthwick said. “I thought there was growth in the team. There’s still plenty of errors but ultimately the thing that pleases me most is the character developed in this group and that the players have brought through, that in difficult circumstances they believe they’re going to find a way and that they keep fighting.”
The mantra, repeated by multiple players after the victory on Saturday, was how pleasing it was England “stayed in the fight” and it should be noted they have won eight of their last nine matches. They had never before overturned a half-time deficit of nine points or more at Twickenham and whereas the last 20 minutes of matches was a weakness 12 months ago, it is developing into a strength. Hardly world-beating stuff but again, enough for the squad to believe they have something on which to hang their hats.
“Perhaps in the past, when we’ve been down, we’ve tried to chase the game a bit too much,” Itoje said. “But what we are trying to do now is trust in our systems, trust in our players and trust in our plan. We believe that if we consistently do the right thing over a period of time then we will get where we need to be. That’s what we are trying to build.”
When Borthwick’s squad regroups, and having been given a talk by the association of former England players to “understand what being part of the England rugby community is”, thoughts will turn to Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday week. England have won just one of their previous six Calcutta Cup matches and Borthwick is only too aware of the threat posed by Scotland and their fly‑half Finn Russell.
“He’s incredibly talented,” Borthwick said. “His ability to move the ball, to see space and carry himself and the speed at which he gets the ball to his feet to kick. He’s got incredible length in terms of his kicking game and that poses multiple threats which means it is difficult to analyse and difficult to play against, but we’ll make sure we do the job we need to this week.”
