Here we go again. Once more unto the breach. Imagine yourself in the boots of England’s players as they trot out under their latest management to kick off their 2023 Six Nations campaign at Twickenham. How would you feel? Underprepared? Probably. Unchained? Maybe. Unsure what to expect? In that respect they are no different from the thousands in the stands or the millions on their sofas.
Because no one can be entirely sure how England will fare after a turbulent winter of discontent. By rights this should be a tournament for sides who have not just jettisoned their head coach in midstream and teams who were not booed off last time they played at home. Expectations, for multiple reasons, are as modest as they have been for some time.
What Steve Borthwick does have, though, is a relatively blank canvas. People tend to make assumptions about the 43-year-old Cumbrian based on his aversion to hype and the absence of many wisecracking one-liners but he is anything but a world-weary defeatist. Beyond his tactical acumen and instinctive understanding of how his players think is a man who also lives by the old Chinese proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The question is how different that journey will look from the final grasshopper days of the ever-changing Eddie Jones era. By the end of last autumn the squad’s body language was beginning to droop and no one seemed entirely sure what they were supposed to be doing, aside from peaking at the World Cup in France.
Which is why the arrival of some straightforward, no-nonsense northern common sense has felt so genuinely refreshing. Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield may lack Jones’s international coaching longevity but they are absolutely sincere in their desire to help English rugby feel better about itself, one game at a time. Initially, that may not always be reflected on the scoreboard but more fight, clarity and energy should be evident from the outset.
If Borthwick’s first selection is not what everyone expected, that is also symbolic in its way. He and Sinfield want players of character who will react positively to pressure and not leave it to others to do the hardest yards. It would also be a major surprise if he has not prioritised those who will potentially give away the fewest penalties. If anything has lately undermined England, aside from a shortage of forward dynamism, it has been a recurring knack of conceding too many soft points.
Soft is not a word anyone would associate with an ex-league Man of Steel or, indeed, Borthwick. People tend to forget that when the latter made his Test playing debut against France at Twickenham in 2001 he packed down alongside Martin Johnson with Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio in the back row. England won 48-19 and played imperiously well. When Borthwick talks about restoring England to former glories he knows exactly what that looks like.
He also knows the effect the roar of a Twickenham crowd can have, on the home team and their opponents. Nor does he need reminding about the heritage of the Calcutta Cup or the keenness of the Anglo-Scottish rivalry. Borthwick, who grew up eight miles south of the border in Carlisle, used to watch this fixture with particular fascination and was reared on the story of Carlisle v Langholm being the world’s oldest cross-border rugby fixture. Having led England to victory over the Scots in 2009, he also knows what lifting the ornately designed Calcutta Cup feels like.
History, though, will be only so much use on this occasion. Scotland have picked a decent-looking side, particularly to those who have watched any club rugby recently. No one who saw Edinburgh tearing into Saracens last month will be skipping idly past the name of Luke Crosbie on the openside while London Irish fans will be similarly aware of Ben White’s alertness. Given White was among those released by Borthwick during his spell at Leicester, the scrum-half will not lack motivation either.
Another Scottish favourite has also been in the news lately and we’re not talking about Ken Bruce leaving his Radio 2 show. Finn Russell’s impending switch to Bath from Racing 92 will be a fascinating meeting of minds and you wonder if this may just be the Six Nations when he shows exactly why his playmaking skills are so highly prized. Given enough quick ball and with the so-called “Huwipulotu” combo of Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu itching to have a crack outside him, Sinfield’s first defensive mission could be a hectic one.
Hence the reason England have gone for a back-row blend that allows them to compete at the breakdown and, theoretically, to probe for Scottish weaknesses elsewhere. It is a big game for Ben Curry, picked in the absence of his more established twin, Tom, as well as Ollie Chessum in the second row. Those wondering if Borthwick has thrown caution to the winds are forgetting that he rarely does anything on a whim.
Expect, too, a good few diagonal kicks and short chips for the athletic, high-rising Joe Marchant to chase rather than endless slow-paced trundling up the middle. The new attack coach, Nick Evans, will doubtless be hoping Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt can finally dovetail as splendidly at this level as they do for Harlequins. Further out London Irish’s Ollie Hassell-Collins has all the attributes to be a successful Test player, with his booming left boot another handy bonus.
Ultimately, though, it is England’s mindset that will shape this contest. If they roar out oozing fresh belief, watch out. If they fall behind early, however, some old ghosts may resurface and Scotland will fancy claiming the Calcutta Cup for a fifth time in the past six years. Gone are the days when Scottish sides trudged down to Twickenham with an inevitable sense of doom.
It will probably boil down to a stray card here or there, as so many matches now do. England have had so little time together that even a one-point victory would feel a major achievement. But if Borthwick’s new broom can deliver an upbeat outcome it would be a truly priceless result for those within the Rugby Football Union enduring their own wintry problems. At least there is already an air of renewed hope, if not yet glory.
