Borthwick must stop delaying and rebuild
The Rugby Paper|March 03, 2024
WHEN Steve Borthwick took over from Eddie Jones as England head coach he said that he had inherited a team that “wasn’t good at anything”. We are more than a year on, and nothing has changed.
Borthwick must stop delaying and rebuild

That reality was rammed home in England’s pivotal game of the Six Nations in Edinburgh last weekend when they were outplayed in the second-half to lose 30-21 to a Scotland side which had made their own fair share of mistakes before half-time.

However, the Scottish glitches were nothing compared with the deluge of errors made by Borthwick’s crew over the course of the 80 minutes at Murrayfield.

It justified the lukewarm reception for their narrow opening wins against tournament tail-gunners Italy and Wales. Even so, England started the second-half trailing only 17-13, with Scotland in their sights as long as they made a marked improvement after the interval.

Cue English implosion. A Scott Cummings lineout steal, and a searing break by quick-witted sub Cameron Redpath – as he used his intuition to turn a blocked Finn Russell kick into gold dust – saw the fly-half ’s precision chip to the corner put Duhan van der Merwe over for his hat-trick.

However, just before a George Ford penalty trimmed the deficit to 24-16, it was a Henry Slade tip-pass to nowhere which started a domino effect of 15 English errors in a row between the 50th and 70th minutes which killed any chance of a Red Rose comeback stone dead. These mistakes ranged across the entire gamut of rugby union skills, and was damning evidence of England’s decline as an international force.

The golden rule at Test level is not to compound an error with another one immediately afterwards, yet England managed to do it 15 times in 20 minutes. Next came a knock-on from the restart by George Martin despite no Scottish challenge, and an Andy Christie turn-over penalty from a Ben Spencer grubber was blocked.

Denne historien er fra March 03, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 03, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE RUGBY PAPERSe alt
Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
The Rugby Paper

Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy

TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 03, 2024
South America look to keep on building
The Rugby Paper

South America look to keep on building

AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Scarratt excited by new pathway
The Rugby Paper

Scarratt excited by new pathway

ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Baxter: I want to make things better
The Rugby Paper

Baxter: I want to make things better

ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
The Rugby Paper

Pearce walks in his father's footsteps

PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 03, 2024
New England group will cause uncertainty
The Rugby Paper

New England group will cause uncertainty

SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Galthie turns his sights to the future
The Rugby Paper

Galthie turns his sights to the future

FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
The Rugby Paper

Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson

CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 03, 2024
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
The Rugby Paper

Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath

BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 03, 2024
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
The Rugby Paper

New faces take the plaudits for Saints

NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 03, 2024