As is standard practice, after one last night together, perhaps sharing a collective sigh of relief at ending their losing streak against Japan, England’s players have returned to their clubs. Less common is that the coaches do so too but Joe El-Abd’s Oyonnax are currently third bottom of the French second division and needs must.
That El-Abd will spend most of the next two months in the foothills of the Jura mountains as part of his job-share arrangement is, to borrow a favourite phrase of the Rugby Football Union, suboptimal. Not least because, after the nine-try win over Japan, the captain Jamie George acknowledged what has been obvious to most observers – that England’s defence, nicknamed “the Hammer”, is their biggest work-on. George reckons it is 80% of the way there, but there has been a significant step backwards since Felix Jones was consigned to video analysis purgatory, running hard drives of information across the Irish sea according to Steve Borthwick, as he sees out his notice.
Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations regardless. There have been 20 Autumn Nations Series Tests to date – there is one to come in Dublin on Saturday – and more than 40 international matches in that period. In keeping with his relentless work ethic, Borthwick intends to rewatch all of them before he presents to his superiors who will review England’s performance in January and apparently task him with winning four out of five of their Six Nations matches.
Leaving Twickenham on Sunday night, Storm Bert battering the outdated old building, it occurred that it is not just the stadium stuck in a time warp. We have heard excuses over the past month that we have heard countless times before. That players come from 10 different clubs and it can be hard to get on the same page, that the players were not fit enough for Test rugby at the start of the campaign. Why should we expect next year’s Six Nations to be any different?
Borthwick is resolutely loyal to his players and there will be no overhaul in terms of personnel. He is adamant that England have changed for the better, by moving the ball, by being courageous and there have been some mesmeric spells with Marcus Smith so often the instigator. But to a large extent, England’s determination to play at pace is born out of necessity and a dearth of genuine power athletes hurt England this autumn. Bristol’s South African centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg is on the radar but it is a while before he qualifies on eligibility grounds. Hoskins Sotutu will be eligible next November if New Zealand keep overlooking him but Borthwick would need the back-rower to join a Premiership side while Kyle Sinckler – in fine fettle for Toulon – and co remain out of reach in France.
The obvious signpost for change is the £264m Professional Game Partnership, signed over the summer, and more specifically the 17 enhanced contracts Borthwick doled out on the eve of the autumn campaign. They give him “final say” on all strength and conditioning matters. Evidence of what that means in practice, however, is in short supply. “Now we’re intent on ensuring there’s better physical preparation aligned with the clubs and to get the best for the players ahead of the Six Nations,” said Borthwick.
But how? Particularly without a replacement for Aled Walters in place. “We’ve got to make sure the players are at the centre of this. Now the players have throughout these last five weeks certainly stepped forward in a number of different areas and we want to make sure that continues and in preparation for the Six Nations.”
If Borthwick was unable to properly explain what he gains from the PGP, surely the players could. “To be honest I don’t know much about it,” conceded Smith. “When I get back to the club I’ll be fully committed again, hoping to get Quins climbing up the Premiership and do well in Europe.”
In search of tangible benefits, Borthwick was asked if he could convene the 17 players on enhanced contracts on club time. He simply shook his head before explaining that there would be a one-day alignment camp in January – given the cost of the PGP that is shaping up to be an expensive day. “I really want the English clubs to do really well in Europe, it’s such a high level of competition and that’s the No 1 priority, so then you’ve got players in form coming into the start of the Six Nations,” added Borthwick, in what was probably his most insightful remark before the penny dropped that Premiership clubs could field the stiffs in Europe if they want and there is nothing he can do about it.
That England begin their Six Nations campaign away to Ireland is daunting but in 2019, after Eddie Jones had overseen five straight defeats the previous year, England went to Dublin and produced one their best performances during his tenure. Can the enhanced contracts really make enough of a difference that England can follow suit in two months’ time? “We are determined to ensure English rugby is in a great place going forward over the long term as well as the short term,” said Borthwick. That is all well and good but he seems to be either unable or unwilling to grasp the notion that another disappointing campaign in the Six Nations and he is unlikely to be around to reap the long-term rewards.
