Borthwick has no place to hide after England's dismantling by Les Bleus

THERE is a segment on BBC Radio 5 Live’s show Fighting Talk called Defend the Indefensible, which did not air on Saturday due to the Gary Lineker row.

- Nick Purewal

England head coach Steve Borthwick took up the baton instead, with a post-match press conference where whatever he said could not justify the 53-10 shaming at the hands of France. England’s record home defeat, their third-heaviest of all time, will leave scars.

The paying public voted with their feet, as half of Twickenham had left before full-time. Those still in the stands come the final whistle were either booing or elated French fans.

England had not stepped back in solidarity with Lineker, but their performance at times appeared a downing of tools. Borthwick’s vain attempt at justification went as far as pointing again to the sorry state that England were in when he replaced Eddie Jones in December. The new boss insisted the scale of England’s loss only mirrors the chasm between England and the world’s top Test teams.