Here's my England squad for Six Nations

THERE will have been times when the honeymoon period predicted for Steve Borthwick’s first year as England coach after succeeding Eddie Jones must have felt more like the War of the Roses.

- NICK CAIN

The basis of the honeymoon concept was that the handover from Jones involved a team that was so broken – both as a credible top-tier nation and in its sundered relationship with the supporters – that the only way was up.

That’s not how it turned out. Borthwick’s message that he had inherited a team “which weren’t good at anything” turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy as they slumped to new lows in the Six Nations, losing by a record score to France, and then bombed in the World Cup warm-ups, including losing to Fiji at Twickenham.

After England scuffed their way through the weakest pool in the tournament unbeaten and then secured a narrow quarter-final victory over Fiji, they finally raised a gallop against South Africa – and might have pulled off a huge semi-final upset but for another scrum collapse.

The decision by Borthwick to bench his veteran starting props, Dan Cole and Joe Marler, going into the final quarter turned into a self-inflicted wound as South Africa squeezed their replacements, Kyle Sinckler and Ellis Genge, to such an extent that the penalties they conceded saw the Springboks edge home.

It is why selection of this best Red Rose line-up for the 2024 Six Nations starts with the front row, where England’s succession plan is a mess. Borthwick needs to put it right rapidly, establishing a short-term plan, and a medium-term pecking order.

For the moment his two best international props are Marler, 33, and Cole, 36, and I advocated both in print and on podcasts that they should have been his starting duo throughout the World Cup.

They should be asked to hold the fort this season, or until the next best props prove their credentials. Their bench understudies should be Beno Obano at loosehead, and either Ehren Painter or Will Collier at tighthead.