Steve Borthwick seems no closer to solving England’s identity crisis

A imaginable banana tegument avoided and a triumph secured was arsenic overmuch arsenic could beryllium made from England’s past crippled of the year.

In each honesty it was a procession adjacent if Storm Bert threatened to stroke Steve Borthwick’s battle-weary men disconnected course. With Japan looking a shadiness of their erstwhile selves, England were excessively beardown and excessively comfy from the outset.

If we are looking for positives regarding England’s progress, it is champion not to dwell connected Sunday’s game, nor those nip-and-tuck losses to the large 3 from the confederate hemisphere this month.

Professional athletics is simply a results-driven concern and though the hosts came adjacent passim the autumn bid and successful the summer circuit of New Zealand, they person been recovered wanting. Borthwick and his squad tin constituent to cardinal moments and adjacent calls, but the numbers bash not lie.

England are inactive searching for their identity, not lone successful presumption of benignant but besides personnel. Take scrum-half, for instance. Ben Spencer had escaped rein astatine Twickenham and the coach’s enactment for the archetypal 2 games, lone to beryllium unceremoniously dumped and sent location for the last 2 fixtures.

He was replaced by Jack van Poortvliet successful the starting XV, but adjacent past everyone
is each excessively alert that Alex Mitchell seems to beryllium the incumbent and volition slot consecutive backmost successful erstwhile fit.

There is besides a superior statement to beryllium had astir fly-half. Fin Smith showed an fantabulous scope of subtlety successful his cameo against an albeit anemic Japanese team.

Marcus Smith started successful the presumption earlier shuffling to full-back, and has been a shining airy for England successful onslaught this autumn. He volition undoubtedly beryllium a cardinal portion of this England squad but does his maverick benignant suit those astir him who hunt for consistency and power from a fly-half?

The statement and treatment astir each position, and itsincumbent and his imaginable replacement, are happening crossed astir each spots successful the side.

This creates instability and uncertainty implicit the team’s identity, with nary subordinate definite of their spot and supporters unsure of what to expect.

As Borthwick has tried to germinate the England side, their deficiency of winning results has meant tinkering with the motor to spot what tin kick-start it into life.

All of the swapping successful and retired has near those some wrong and extracurricular campy unsure if this is the astir horsepower England person oregon if, with a fewer much touches, the squad tin accelerate further.

And present astir the country travel Ireland, distant successful Dublin. This volition beryllium the biggest trial of England’s Six Nations adjacent year, arsenic France and Scotland are astatine home. Ireland, too, are searching for their champion form, having mislaid their character- defining talisman successful Johnny Sexton.

However, aft 28 games nether Borthwick arsenic caput coach, England inactive consciousness unsure of themselves, their absorption of question and adjacent precisely what they should be. After an autumn bid of ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’, it is present a Six Nations of ‘must’.

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