Ben Earl was defiant, Maro Itoje ultra-demanding. George Ford wanted to wait to take full stock and George Furbank displayed confidence in England's latest revamp.
Everyone who fronted up after England's worst run of results against Scotland since 1972 had one thing in common: absolute belief in this new era.
The problem is that England have failed to transfer that conviction to the field. England to a man insist they are making progress, while at the same time fully accepting that they made far too many errors to mount a serious victory challenge at Murrayfield.
Borthwick's men showed snippets of attacking prowess, to which they will cling for grim death in a difficult week of post-mortems.
Duhan van der Merwe's hat-trick sealed Scotland's stunning 30-21 triumph, a fully deserved and comprehensive victory.
The last time Scotland beat England four times in a row, Red Rose boss Borthwick was still seven-and a-half years away from being born. But the last time Scotland beat England four times on the trot in the Five or Six Nations championship, Queen Victoria was still on the throne. A low point dating back to 1896 must be made to register.
This story is from the February 26, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the February 26, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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