Unsettled England enter Six Nations with Steve Borthwick still searching for winning formula
Borthwick has tinkered again.
A new England will roll into Dublin on Saturday in a cracking start to their Six Nations.
A new captain, a now officially fully established defence coach, fresh backroom staff and selections that suggest a change in approach. In the England era of Steve Borthwick, not much stays the same for too long.
Not long after the dust has settled on an unsettling autumn series, England head to one of the toughest destinations in rugby.
This has become a brutal place to grab a result as Ireland have found a perfect concoction of younger players and wise old heads.
They have created a team with the robustness of youth as well as clear, calm thought processes in key moments and possess a world-class coach in Andy Farrell.
Last year, all roads appeared to be leading to an Irish Grand Slam until they were stunned at Twickenham as England, the huge underdogs, ruined the party with a smash-and-grab 23-22 victory.
The crowd were ecstatic, the players confrontational in post-match interviews, yet it was all too short-lived. After an autumn which produced a solitary win over Japan, England feel as if they are starting again.
Borthwick has reacted and fiddled with the format once more. He has removed a much-respected captain in Jamie George and replaced him with Maro Itoje.
Having an ‘80-minute’ skipper was part of the coach’s reasoning which is fine, as long as the new man is not spending ten minutes in the sin bin.
England’s selection is unsettled slightly by injuries and the changing of the guard, and the line-up certainly does not pick itself at the moment. Gone are the days of a guaranteed spot.
It seems the key driver of this turnover is not strength in depth, of which there is some, but more based on performance.
Marcus Smith played himself into the starting spot at No.10 but, like the majority of positions, there is an argument to be made for a different choice.
Even though his performances were impressive in the autumn, the other Smith, Fin, was still being talked about as a better fit for a Borthwick side.
Twin brothers in the back row is an unknown combination for England but certainly not to Tom and Ben Curry themselves. Brought in to contest and disturb an Irish breakdown alongside the ball-carrying capability of Ben Earl, it is a roll of the dice, but not a bad place to do so.
Targeting the breakdown is a key area in modern rugby with speed of ball impacting all facets of the game, by the reduction of decision-making time.
The backline is light on caps and there are only two reserves on the bench. A couple of injuries early on and the visitors are going to be up against it.
Picking an England side, in good form or bad, and nailing down that perfect selection with the plethora of resources available is no easy challenge. When Ireland are waiting to expose any flaws in those choices, it is even tougher.
But the hosts are also a little unsure. With Farrell on Lions duty Ireland have a stand-in coach, no Johnny Sexton figurehead, and some players fighting for form. Their autumn was not full of the brilliant rugby of recent years.
Both sides seem to be in flux, although without question England are in a worse position than Ireland who, at home and with their power and action-packed gameplan, are clear favourites.
But England won’t go into this game without hope. As they did a year ago, with the odds against them and critics circling, it may be typical of this Borthwick team to nick a result when we least expect it.
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