Steve Borthwick staunchly defends under-fire star amid wave of criticism

England head coach Steve Borthwick has said that it is “all of our responsibility” after his side’s second successive loss in the Guinness Six Nations at the hands of Ireland, deflecting any criticism directed towards his fly-half, George Ford.

Following a dismal showing in Edinburgh last week against Scotland, the veteran fly-half struggled to get England’s backline firing again as the hosts succumbed to a 42-21 defeat at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

The 32-year-old came under fire following the Calcutta Cup loss in round two of the Championship, not helped by his charged-down drop-goal attempt that resulted in a Scotland try, but failed to guide England back to winning ways on home soil.

England made 12 entries into the Irish 22, while Andy Farrell’s men only made nine, but the hosts came away with 1.75 points per entry compared to Ireland’s 4.33. Stats like that will often result in criticism being directed towards a team’s playmaker, and this has proven to be no exception.

Borthwick was quizzed on the form of his No.10 after the match, particularly with Fin Smith and Marcus Smith waiting in the wings, but he was quick to highlight the success Ford has had over the past year for England, as it was only a matter of weeks ago that he was being named player of the match in a victory over the All Blacks.

“I think George is doing so much good for England and has done for a long period of time and particularly the last spell,” Borthwick said.

“I think the way George played in the autumn was outstanding, and I think two weeks ago he played really well here against Wales.

“I know you want to talk about individuals, but the team, it’s all of us today. Like last week, we didn’t find a way to get the result we wanted, but that’s all of our responsibility.

“I think Fin Smith is an excellent player, as is Marcus Smith, and we have some very good players and options in that position and in the 15 position also.”

England captain Maro Itoje was also quick to defend his team-mate in the face of a tidal wave of criticism.

“George is a fantastic player,” he said. “He’s a player I deeply admire. He’s the player who’s delivered for England time and time and time again, and he’s had a huge amount of success in his career, and he will continue to have a huge amount of success in his career with this team and all of the teams he represents.”