The temperatures are rising, the daffodils are out and, within the England camp, the time has come for a major spring clean. Steve Borthwick has certainly snapped on his marigolds with rare vigour in his bid to banish his side’s February blues, with most areas of his team sheet either hosed down or completely flushed away after the less‑than‑fragrant performance against Ireland.
A grand total of 12 changes, three of them positional, is almost approaching Thames Water-levels of murky discharge. Not since the infamous tombola days of the 1960s and 70s, when England’s selectors sometimes called up any old Tom, Dick or Harrovian, has a red rose head coach deviated more strikingly from the strong and stable gospel of devil‑you‑know cohesion.
The resultant mix is unquestionably fresher-looking if, in places, slightly eclectic. If the aim is more first-quarter certainty, it is an interesting gambit to select a half-back pairing, a midfield duo and a back three which, as combined units, have never played a Test together. Where’s the instinctive logic, for example, in reinstating a pair of Northampton players at 10 and 13 and then removing the 12 jersey from their club colleague Fraser Dingwall?
And so on. If Ben Spencer is suddenly the man at scrum-half with Alex Mitchell injured it offers the possibility of a more kick-based gameplan. If that event why drop your best kicking fly‑half in George Ford? And if you are picking both Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman, does it not strengthen the case for their fellow Saint George Furbank at full‑back rather than Elliot Daly?
The resulting patchwork quilt of a selection is far removed from the backline that, until recently, was supposedly first among equals. Which backs up the sense that Borthwick’s patience has snapped. Remember those furious old‑school coaches who, after a disappointing defeat, would scream: “I’m going to drop the lot of yers!” In this case, with just three players wearing the same shirt they wore against Ireland, that is inevitably how most fans will perceive it.
The sweeping cull even outstrips the previous England Six Nations record of eight starting personnel changes, that dates back to 2007 when Brian Ashton reacted instantly to the thumping Croke Park defeat against Ireland. Injuries also played a part but Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Farrell, Phil Vickery, Danny Grewcock, Louis Deacon, Magnus Lund, Perry Freshwater and Olly Morgan all disappeared from the starting lineup. Out went a radically reshuffled combination and – boom! – France were beaten in some style at Twickenham.
It is far from impossible that England could do likewise against an Italy team yet to beat them in 32 attempts dating back 35 years. The Azzurri do not go into many Six Nations games as favourites so there is an element of uncharted territory. But, ultimately, it will not matter which names England put on their team sheet if, collectively, they cannot display more energy, aggression and intent than they managed against Scotland and Ireland.
Thomas Tuchel, the England men’s football supremo, certainly picked an interesting day to pay a visit and take in a training session in the Bagshot sunshine. He would at least have recognised the familiar elephant in the coaching room: England, within reason, are expected to win most matches they play. And if they underperform for three games in a row, hundreds of thousands of armchair experts will be demanding to know why.
Because this team are not being wheeled out to play fantasy rugby. Back in the real world wholesale mid-tournament U-turns simply have to pay off instantly. If not people will start querying the judgment of the trigger-happy guy at the wheel. Before the Ireland game Borthwick said he wanted to be known as a coach who backs his players. Should that last verb, strictly speaking, now start with an “s” instead? And will it be wholly the players’ fault if a slightly cobbled-together side goes down in Roman flames?
An awful lot is hinging, therefore, on how quickly this different combination can gel. Borthwick’s rationale is that he has, in effect, picked the same backline that has trained together en masse against the “first team” for weeks. The “shags” are now being released into the wild, fuelled by a mixture of pent-up frustration from their previous non‑selections and the increased likelihood of a World Cup squad place if they do well.
Opportunity knocks, either way, for Seb Atkinson – proud product of Luctonians RFC, Worcester Warriors and Gloucester – who impressed in Argentina last summer only to pick up an untimely autumn injury. While the continuing squad omission of Max Ojomoh still feels curious, Atkinson potentially offers more ball-carrying heft and defensive appetite, both of which England have latterly lacked.
Daly’s left boot and cricketer’s hands could help to defuse Italy’s penchant for kicking right towards Louis Lynagh’s wing. But, as Tuchel and every other longsuffering former England head coach is aware, none of that matters if you lose.
