Steve Borthwick deserves huge credit for reacting to boos from England fans

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Steve Borthwick deserves credit for England’s improvement - Getty Images/Ian Cook

You have to give Steve Borthwick credit for the way England have evolved during this Six Nations. Controlling contact is key and if you are on the front foot then it is a different ball game, and England absolutely smashed Wales physically in Cardiff. What that did was it created the space time and again for them to play. But, if they did not have the right attitude to get their players into the right positions and to take advantage, then we would not have seen that performance.

That is where the credit goes to Borthwick. I think he probably showed the England players what France did to Wales in that opening game in Paris – along the lines of “here are the shapes that we must have in place if we want to be one of the top two to three sides in the Six Nations Championship”. Because without that variety and intent, England will not do enough to damage the best teams.

That is the biggest brick in place in the wall coming out of these final two games against Italy and Wales. Yes, they are the two weakest sides that England have faced, but they have made the most of it, scoring 16 tries in two matches. Cardiff was by far England’s best performance in terms of varying their tactics, the effectiveness of their runners and power of their ball-carriers. They dominated.

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England’s victory against Wales was their most complete performance of the championship - Getty Images/David Rogers

Also, it has to be said, in coaching you need a bit of luck. If Finn Russell kicks that final conversion – from the right position – then that is a game England may have lost. Regardless, coming out of the Scotland game England would have needed a hard look at their approach to the first three games of the championship. I remember seeing Richard Wigglesworth’s face at the end of the Scotland game. He was obviously furious about the non-rugby that he had watched. I think being booed off the field at Twickenham meant they had to look at something different. That might have surprised Borthwick and I know it upset Ellis Genge based on his interview.

That is why you have to give Borthwick credit. They have definitely changed direction and put things in place in these last two games. There had to be a change in mindset collectively, to get it to the edges, to kick later and remove the first and only choice of Alex Mitchell kicking the leather off the ball.

Bringing back Elliot Daly at full-back was key to that new approach and it was a shame that Ollie Lawrence’s early injury against Italy meant that we did not get to see more of Daly in that role. Also, if you are picking the Northampton backs you want them to make decisions about when they run and when they kick. Fin Smith at No 10 was a good call, because he naturally draws players into play as a unit, whereas Marcus Smith tends to have a look first and then pass second. There was always the potential to have that fluency with Fin Smith at 10, and with Marcus at full-back his strength is taking players on one-on-one, especially in broken field.

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Fin Smith at No 10 was a good call by Borthwick - Reuters/Paul Childs

England have obviously worked hard on attitude and approach, going into a feverish atmosphere and taking all the momentum from Wales. The only thing you have to be careful about is that it was against the worst opposition in the Six Nations. Watching France play the last two weeks, you are looking at games at a different level to England-Italy and Wales-England. It is important to keep that perspective, but, going forward they have a collective attitude and intent to move the ball. Their back row was outstanding. Getting Tommy Freeman in with Fraser Dingwall and Fin Smith, you could see a unit there in the midfield. Wales was a two-pass game whereas up until Italy, England were playing a one-pass and carry game.

France are worthy champions​

A final word on the champions. The right team in France has won the championship. England beat them and credit to England for that, and France learned their lessons from that game in terms of their intent. Scotland played well today, the scoreline did not reflect the game properly, but what Scotland did not do was finish off their big plays. They took France on up front, the contact was better, but France have that variety. Their kicking game and where they bring in their ball-carriers, through variation they keep defences guessing. You have the seven-one bench so you can change the whole pack – which I’m not sure helps countries with smaller numbers – but they also have the ability out wide with Louis Bielle-Biarrey. He would have been my player of the match. He was the gamechanger. A word too for my good friend Shaun Edwards. He has brought commitment to France’s defence which shines through when they are under pressure.

They have a goalkicker in Thomas Ramos who virtually does not miss, half-backs who bring control, and a system that gets the best out of the players but is built around their variety. South Africa have that too, and England are starting to show they have that as well.

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