Steve Borthwick’s entire England tenure will be judged on one match as Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final holds knife-edge status for the head coach.
Borthwick will not like the concept one bit, but the cold, hard fact is that this clash will define his embryonic reign. Win, and England will have achieved their pre-tournament expectation. Lose, and the inquest will be unremitting.
England have enjoyed arguably the easiest World Cup draw in the tournament’s history.
The lowly world rankings of England’s Pool D opponents only serve to underscore that assertion: Chile are ranked 22nd; Samoa 15th; Japan 12th; and Argentina eighth. And now England will face world No9 side Fiji at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
The world’s top four teams are all on the other side of the draw.
England have avoided Ireland, South Africa, France and New Zealand, flying entirely under the radar in a relatively stress-free competition.
Finally, England will have to show exactly what they are made of. That it has taken until the sixth week of a two-month tournament for them to be put under such pressure is ludicrous.
England are in no way to blame for the scheduling and the draw, but so far they have had this competition as easy it could come.
Argentina wilted under the pressure of Tom Curry’s red card, failing to capitalise on their extra man and buckling under the weight of expectation.
England, hurting from their pre-tournament results, delivered a fine, improved performance to win that opening clash 27-10, but the Pumas were woefully error-strewn.
Borthwick’s men eventually cruised past Japan 34-12, despite a sloppy showing, then their 71-0 dismissal of Chile turned into a glorified training run.
England should have swatted Samoa aside, too, but laboured badly and were lucky to escape with an 18-17 win.
So, now England step up to take on Fiji, the side that defeated them for the first time ever in August, with that 30-22 win at Twickenham.
Borthwick is the study of a man wrestling to avoid grand pronouncements when speaking in public. The England boss does not like media interviews, or press conferences, and appears to like it even less when he reveals deeply-detailed information. The former England captain does, however, care hugely about England’s fans, and how they view the squad and its coaches.
This creates a negative crux, where Borthwick clams up under even mild interrogation, only to wind up the supporters he loves by denying them the information they so crave.
Borthwick’s clear main job is to win Test matches, but it is also to inspire the nation, or at least the rugby-loving part of it as a minimum.
Borthwick wants to protect the intellectual property of his coaching regime, which while understandable, is misguided. Any rival Test coach worth their salt can find out all the information they need, so holding back carries no merit and his disinterest in engaging fully with the tub-thumping, rousing public side of his role has repercussions.
There were more than 2,000 tickets still for sale or on resale last night, even amid the final throes of preparations for this clash. Wales’s battle against Argentina in Marseille was not yet a sell-out either, while there are no tickets for love nor money for either Paris quarter-final.
The lopsided draw is not a sufficient reason for empty seats. Outrageous hotel prices in France on match nights certainly plays a part, as does England’s piecemeal form. Some supporters are, perhaps, keeping their powder dry in the hopes of a blue-chip semi-final.
Fiji will provide flair, imagination, physicality and ingenuity, though, so any England fans who opt not to make the trip could miss a genuine spectacle.
England’s biggest weakness, the breakdown, also represents one of Fiji’s greatest strengths.
All attention will be rightly lavished on former prison guard and La Rochelle superstar Levani Botia, dubbed the Demolition Man by adoring fans at his French club.
Botia’s breakdown supremacy is unmatched in world rugby, and yet Fiji boast two other exponents to run the 34-year-old close. Former Bristol centre Semi Radradra and Racing 92’s Josua Tuisova are both masters.
England’s breakdown shortcomings have left Borthwick’s side unable to build multiple-phase attacks. Without marked improvement, Borthwick’s men’s fluent attacking ambitions will be thwarted again.
Borthwick has pledged that his big-game players will rise to the knockout occasion.
The England boss said he sees in his side a group of players that always find a way.
Take the wrong turn at Sunday’s crossroads, however, and England will be heading home.
