England won’t be derailed if they hold their nerve over Borthwick
However unlikely one may think it is, there is a chance of England being left holding the wooden spoon for the first time in the Six Nations era. You have to go back to 1987 for their last bottom-place finish in the old Five Nations.
That alone would be a humiliation for a head coach in Steve Borthwick who has a number of “points against” statistics against him, as well as England’s first ever losses to both Italy and Fiji, during his tenure.
In Rome, in front of what looked like a crowd often in bedlam, Italy dismantled England’s boring game and punished their boring strategy to produce a historic result that was anything but boring.
But with the governing Rugby Football Union looking to fill sponsorship spots on the backs of shirts and shorts of England’s iconic white shirts, a woefully performing national side could make that sales pitch a little harder. The same would be true, relatively speaking, for a Red Roses side suddenly losing three matches in the Women’s Six Nations later this year.
And though the likelihood of negotiations being impacted by on-field performance is low in the short term, it may be something that drifts into the back of the minds of commercial bigwigs over the coming weeks.
England’s woeful Six Nations
For what it is worth, however, I do not think Borthwick should be relieved of his duties. That’s not because of any compensation that may need to be paid to the former Leicester Tigers boss, nor because there’s no one else to do the job; but because until a couple of weeks ago the former England captain and his team looked unstoppable.
Their dodgy patch will end, though the chances of that happening at a raucous Stade de France this weekend are slim, and soon they’ll be back in the mix. It is a phase.
I wrote last week about how long it took Italy to become a force in the Six Nations, and they’re starting to prove it. Before then I spoke of the need for Scotland to keep faith with Gregor Townsend. Both of those arguments involved not jumping the gun too early, and the RFU should follow suit.
“After a 12-match winning run, these past three results have been hugely disappointing, and we feel that just as much as everyone else,” RFU chief Bill Sweeney said after the loss at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Steve and his coaching team are working tirelessly to make improvements, and we remain fully committed to supporting them and the players as they face France this weekend and then look ahead to the Nations Championship.”
Hold nerve
It is not the most resounding motivator but it is one nonetheless. And he and England should draw on it as they look to cause an upset in Paris.
The RFU is a financial powerhouse of the sport, generating around £100m more than the next richest union, France. But look at France with its depth, passionate rendition of La Marseillaise and strong domestic league.
Les Bleus are building a commercial juggernaut, despite language restrictions preventing true mass expansion beyond its borders. And winning helps. England need to find that formula again.
Seeing Borthwick backing the same team this weekend – bar a switch of Ollie Chessum and Sam Underhill – will also give some confidence to a side who were woeful last week.
England aren’t down and out, far from it, but they must navigate a difficult patch. Long-term failure, like that seen across the Severn bridge in Wales – however unlikely – would loosen the commercial wheels at the RFU. And the game would be poorer for it.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11