Ollie Lawrence (left) could be given an extended run in the centers – if so, he should make the most of it. Photo: GETTY IMAGES/Alex Davidson
The Six Nations tournament after the World Cup is often disappointing. Long-established teams are breaking up, there are frequent managerial changes, and everyone knows they are at the start of a four-year preparation cycle for the next World Cup. Parties are often forgiven for not meeting their goals, especially if they are experimenting and in a period of transition.
However, for Steve Borthwick these Six Nations are crucial. He must prove that what happened in England at last year's World Cup was the beginning, not the end, of the road back to respectability in international rugby. Although England finished third in France, this was, oddly enough, both the most they could realistically achieve and the least that should have been expected, given the easiest draw England have had at any World Cup.
< p>For England fans it was like that. It's not just a matter of the number of wins achieved and a place at the final table, as important as those are. It's not just about the style of play, but also about the interest and entertainment generated, since the latter two things have been lacking in recent years.
In the last three tournaments, England have won just two of their five games and only once had a positive scoring average – and that was by just five points. Although they have three away matches this year, they have a distinct advantage: they will face Italy in the first match, even if it is in Rome. England have never lost to Italy in the Six Nations and whichever team Borthwick selects will be able to ease their way into the competition. If, as is likely, Borthwick wants to try out new unit combinations, they will face resistance in test matches, but under relatively favorable conditions.
Borthwick will no doubt say England will take each game one at a time and see what happens next, but winning two games out of five is the absolute minimum acceptable result. You can stretch that number to three wins given that the effect of home advantage in the tournament has statistically ranged from 53 to 70 percent (average: 61 percent) over the last few seasons, and England have Wales and Ireland at Twickenham.< /p
There are specific issues that Borthwick now has the opportunity to address, beyond the pressure of preparing for a World Cup or tournament. These problems exist at the micro level, from individual and departmental choices, to the macro level of the team's approach as a whole.
If there is one issue that should occupy England's leadership, it is the selection, commitment and development of a central partnership. You have to go back to the days of Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood to see England's last stable center pairing, and this defect, as much as any other single issue, has prevented England from developing as a well-rounded entity. Whatever combination of Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Eliot Daly and Fraser Dingwall is chosen, give them a long period and a chance to begin the four-year journey of creating a balanced and effective pairing.
Failure to resolve this long-standing problem would be an abdication of duty, especially now that Owen Farrell's departure to France has left him unable to play with him at age 12.
Farrell's absence deprives England of one of their most prolific players and a man who has had a huge influence on every aspect of England's playing style and DNA. However, this is also a chance for England to demand more participation from their remaining players and support the attacking instincts of Marcus Smith and George Ford to take England to a higher level.
When you look at England's forwards, you don't see a group that can physically overwhelm the best. What they should be asked to do is stretch their opponents with speed on the ground and when breaking through.
In a recent interview, Borthwick talked about building his team's DNA. If you were to poll the majority of England fans, I'd bet a pretty penny that the word “kick” would top many people's lists of what needs to change. At this point, England fans would prefer an ambitious style of play with the ball in hand rather than continuing the stifling and tiresome strategy of pressing kicks, even if it meant small losses rather than victories.
People have quickly forgotten the atmosphere that began to haunt the England team due to their World Cup failure against the world champion Springboks. It was an atmosphere of resignation and despondency, and this was to change over the next few Borthwick years. It's not just a matter of audience engagement, it's the only way to beat the best teams in the world. We have seen that teams that cannot create and convert scoring chances do not win big prizes.
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