The England head trainer, Steve Borthwick, is aiming to broaden a brand new courting with top-level golf equipment that he believes will assist the group get again on peak of the Six Nations and spice up their World Cup hopes.
Ireland’s grand slam-clinching victory in Dublin ensured England completed fourth, with earlier defeats in opposition to Scotland and France including as much as any other disappointing go back. England completed 5th within the 2021 championship and 3rd final season and there seems to be a widening hole between them and the sector’s easiest groups, regardless of the Rugby Football Union’s enviable sources.
“We will do a review on Wednesday as a management team,” Borthwick stated following the 29-16 defeat on the Aviva Stadium. “We will go through the whole Six Nations and what the key lessons are as a debrief, and then next week I will be communicating with the directors of rugby, head coaches and players.
“Conor O’Shea is working as the [RFU] performance director … Hopefully working together, Conor with the clubs, the RFU with the clubs and PRL [Premiership Rugby]we will be able to develop a system that enables the club game to thrive, and the international team to thrive.”
There has been widespread criticism of the English system and the often problematic relationship between the RFU and the clubs, particularly in comparison with Ireland where the provincial sides are capable of producing a wealth of elite talent. But Borthwick, who had limited time to prepare for the Six Nations after being appointed in December following the dismissal of Eddie Jones, believes things can change for the better.
“That is what we all want, we want a really competitive, vibrant Premiership rugby that produces the best possible players,” Borthwick stated.
“That is the place we wish to be. We don’t need a couple of Six Nations with best a few wins. We wish to be on the peak of the championship.
Borthwick said last month that he inherited a team that “were not excellent at the rest”, and he added he is determined to improve the squad’s conditioning before the World Cup in France this year, but that an uptick in their collective fitness had already become apparent.
“The conditioning of the players has improved through the tournament. If you reflect on the Scotland game, which is the first one we played… you saw the drop-off which is where Scotland beat us. Against what we know is a very fit and athletic Ireland team, and playing with numbers down for a considerable period of time, I think everyone could see the difference … We don’t want to spend the World Cup camp trying to get fit. We want to use the World Cup camp to get better.”
The debate over Freddie Steward’s purple card seems more likely to proceed, in the meantime, with the England prop Dan Cole insisting the full-back didn’t need to be despatched off by way of the referee, Jaco Peyper, following a conflict with Hugo Keenan.
The Ireland full-back Keenan didn’t go back following a head harm overview whilst England had been left to play with 14 males and had been duly beaten by way of the sector’s No 1 group within the ultimate quarter.
Before generating the cardboard Peyper defined to Steward and the England captain, Owen Farrell, that he had no different choice however to make it a purple “in the current climate”. After the fit, it’s understood that Peyper expressed his worry he would now not be appointed to referee any other high-profile recreation one day had he now not despatched Steward off.
“It’s difficult. Freddie is simply reacting. It gave the impression of he was once looking to pull out and the bloke runs into him,” said Cole, who marked his 100th England cap against Ireland. “He feels he has let the team down but he hasn’t. He’s reacted, tried to turn away and the bloke’s run into him. There was no intent, no maliciousness.”
Asked if he’s in melancholy on the utility of the regulations and the proliferation of playing cards, Cole stated: “It is sophisticated. You need the sport to be as secure as conceivable however you take into account that while you play a touch game, and you have got other folks operating into every different. Sometimes it occurs.
“If there may be intent throw the guide at other folks, ship them off, do what you want to do. But every so often it’s response stuff.