England's Six Nations Collapse: Borthwick Admits 'Plenty of Work to Do' After Ireland Demolition
Steve Borthwick, the head coach of England's rugby union team, has openly acknowledged that his squad has only themselves to blame for their steep and alarming decline in this season's Six Nations championship. Following a record-breaking and humiliating defeat by Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, Borthwick stated emphatically that his side is being severely punished for their consistently poor starts to matches, leaving themselves with "a mountain to climb" against high-quality opposition.
A Record-Breaking Defeat and Bitter Disappointment
This devastating loss represents England's worst Six Nations defeat since they suffered a 53-10 thrashing at home to France in 2023. Borthwick expressed that he was "bitterly disappointed" with his team's latest sub-par first-half performance, which set the tone for the entire match. "Unfortunately, for two weeks now, we have given the opposition too many points and we have not got scoreboard presence," Borthwick admitted. "We will be looking closely at that and how I set the team up to make sure it doesn't happen again."
The coach highlighted critical issues with ball retention and turnovers, which proved costly against a formidable Irish defense. "Everybody can see we turned the ball over too many times. You get in field position opportunities to score and then you turn the ball over. Credit Ireland's defence and Ireland at the breakdown. They were very, very strong there," Borthwick conceded.
Reality Check Amidst Hype and Criticism
Reflecting on the team's recent trajectory, Borthwick provided a sobering assessment. "Two weeks ago, there was a lot of talk about 12 wins on the bounce. People were saying all kinds of positive things about this team and not all of them were true. Right now, after two losses, people will be saying other things about this team and they won't all be true either," he remarked.
"The truth is somewhere in the middle. We are a team that has plenty of work to do, we know that. I have always said that. Ultimately, in the last two weeks, we have played against two high quality teams and they have been better than us. Huge credit to Ireland, they took their chances and their kicking game was excellent," Borthwick added, acknowledging the superior performance of the opposition.
Player Reactions and Internal Accountability
Ellis Genge, the England prop, echoed the sentiment of disappointment and responsibility in his post-match comments to BBC Sport. "What do you do? Two weeks in a row conceding so many points in the first 15 minutes. No one knows what the answer is right now or we would have sorted it out. It opened up scar tissue from last week. We have to be better at managing that period and stop turning the ball over," Genge stated.
Genge also addressed the team's mindset and the impact on supporters. "We probably believed the hype from the first week too much. We can't let the noise in now. Sorry to the fans, you have been outstanding. We have let everyone down, apologies for that but I promise we will make it better," he vowed.
Maro Itoje, who marked his 100th appearance for England with this match, acknowledged the team's lack of precision. "Ultimately, we weren't accurate. We weren't accurate in and around the breakdown and then when we had opportunities in Ireland's 22 we weren't accurate in taking them. We need to look at how we can make sure that when we do have territory and opportunities we convert them," Itoje analyzed.
Borthwick's Defense of Key Players
Amidst the criticism, Borthwick came to the defense of fly-half George Ford, who faced jeers from sections of the crowd after missing crucial penalty opportunities. "George has done so much good for England for such a long period of time and particularly over the last spell," Borthwick asserted. "In the autumn he was outstanding and two weeks ago he played really well here against Wales. You want to talk about individuals, but it is about the team. It is all of us today and it was all of us last week. We didn't find a way to get the result we wanted and that's all of our responsibility."
Ireland's Triumph and Strategic Brilliance
In stark contrast, Ireland's Dan Sheehan celebrated what he described as one of the team's best performances ever. "That performance was right up there with one of the best we've ever had," Sheehan told ITV Sport. "To get this win at Twickenham is special."
Sheehan credited head coach Andy Farrell for instilling belief and strategic clarity. "He [Farrell] just reminds us that if we get our systems right we have a plan to beat anyone. He gives us incredible belief. You look outside the group and there isn't too much belief. But he and the coaching group have made us believe and helped us put a performance in today," Sheehan praised, highlighting the cohesive and effective approach that led to Ireland's dominant victory.
As England regroups and reflects on this significant setback, the focus remains on addressing fundamental issues and rebuilding confidence ahead of future challenges in the Six Nations and beyond.
