England have dispersed for a few days of recharging the batteries at home and, after clinching their second successive win of the Six Nations, have done so with a spring in their step. As Maro Itoje put it after the scrappy victory against Wales on Saturday: “Life is a lot better when you win – you go home with smiles on faces, your family looks at you with smiles and no gloom.”
Steve Borthwick gave the players a day at home last week too and he is evidently mindful of the benefits a little R&R can have. A lot of these players spent five consecutive months in camp last year and it has not been forgotten that Borthwick’s former captain effectively took the decision that representing England was not worth the hassle just a couple of months ago. A huge picture of Owen Farrell still hangs above the entrance to the Twickenham club shop after all.
