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Matthieu Jalibert blow for France sees Galthie reshuffle backline
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Calls for 'robotic' and 'uninspiring' Steve Borthwick to face England axe
By Ian Cameron
England’s Guinness Six Nations campaign unravelled in brutal fashion as a 42-21 defeat to Ireland at Allianz Stadium ended any lingering title ambitions and ramped up the scrutiny on Steve Borthwick and fly-half George Ford.
A week on from defeat at Murrayfield, England conceded 22 unanswered points inside the opening half hour. Luke Cowan-Dickie and Freddie Steward were both withdrawn before the break as Ireland exposed familiar faults. Social media reaction was swift and unforgiving, with Borthwick’s selections and Ford’s authority coming under heavy fire.
Ford endured a torrid afternoon. He failed to find touch from one penalty and sent another dead, later drawing ironic cheers when he finally located the sideline. It summed up a rudderless display on a landmark day for captain Maro Itoje, who marked his 100th cap in a stadium that at times felt like Dublin.
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Jamison Gibson-Park orchestrated Ireland’s attack, with Stuart McCloskey and Caelan Doris providing punch and precision. Tommy O’Brien, Dan Sheehan and Jamie Osborne all crossed as England’s defence crumbled.
Sam Underhill’s late try offered scant consolation. England were second best in every department barring the scrum. Predictably, the pressure is now firmly back on Borthwick and his senior playmaker, with social media taking the pair to task for the horror show.
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Scotland
3
2
1
0
11
2
France
2
2
0
0
10
3
Ireland
3
2
1
0
9
4
England
3
1
2
0
5
5
Italy
2
1
1
0
5
6
Wales
3
0
3
0
1
Former England fly-half and RugbyPass columnist Andy Goode said the performance matched Borthwick’s demeanour: “Andy Farrell got his troops firing today, the mark of the head coach. Ireland were class from the first minute. England mirrored Steve Borthwick, uninspiring and dull. Ford’s time is up too in an England shirt.”
RugbyPass transfer guru Neil Fissler didn’t spare the England coach either, posting: “English Rugby needs a better coach than the robotic Steve Borthwick.”
One fan wrote: “Borthwick is a decent and honourable man, whose communication has improved massively, but you can’t be completely out of two consecutive test matches in the first half and keep your job. That’s a record loss. Heads need to roll.”
Others questioned Borthwick’s in-game tactical decision, namely bringing Marcus Smith on at 15 when fly-half George Ford was struggling so badly. Former US Eagles star Will Hooley wrote: “I’ve been vocal in my support for Ford. But if Borthwick truly wanted to make a statement in his substitutions, then Smith can’t be brought on at 15…why not just give him the keys at 10 for a half?”
Another fan said the Sale Sharks playmaker probably should have been pulled early: “Great respect for George Ford, but I would have pulled him off after his 2nd missed touch kick. He has enough experience to recover from it and was clearly not himself.”
Others defended Ford, commentator Andrew McKenna taking fans to task after ironic cheers rang out when Ford kicked a pair of successful touchfinders after missing several earlier efforts: “Seriously? You’re taking the piss out of George Ford Twickenham? He deserves much better than that. Yes he’s made a couple of mistakes today – I presume you all have NEVER had an off day at work?”
Despite the criticism and the fact that the Rugby World Cup is just over 18 months away, Borthwick’s position doesn’t appear to be under any meaningful threat, not least given his last two losses came off the back of a 12-match winning streak.
The 46-year-old clearly knew that criticism was on the way, telling ITV after the game that: “Two weeks ago… People were talking about us being the best team in the world and now they’ll be saying all kinds of other things and neither is true.”
For all that, the feeling among many is that Borthwick’s tenure has flattered to desceive, and that the talented player pool at his disposal is going to waste.
He now has two more Six Nations games to prove those critics wrong.
