Steve Borthwick's tenure as England's rugby coach faces scrutiny following a seventh loss in nine matches. Rather than criticize officials for questionable calls, he emphasized his team's indiscipline, allowing a halftime lead to slip away. His approach mirrors that of former coach Stuart Lancaster, focusing on the intricacies of defeats instead of providing supporters with reasons for hope. Borthwick's character is evident in his refusal to shift blame, yet parallels are drawn to Lancaster's struggles in high-pressure roles. The ineffective bench further compounds concerns about the team's performance and direction moving forward.
Borthwick pointed instead to his side's indiscipline as they let a 10-5 half-time lead slip through their fingers. That's something that needs to be improved this week.
Eddie Jones summed up England's plight far more adroitly in only four words when asked how he would have reacted if he were in Borthwick's position: I'm glad I'm not.
Instead started talking about how his side lost a couple of crucial aerial contests rather than highlighting how he is still without a head of performance.
It is in moments such as this that he most reminds you of Stuart Lancaster, another England coach whose character cannot be questioned.
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