Detractors of the format of the Nations Championship are not necessarily hard to find but the new competition may find itself a fan in Steve Borthwick. Were the July international window not reshaped, we can perhaps assume that England would have faced a three-Test itinerary in South Africa this summer; instead, as they seek to end a five-match losing run, they have at least been able to enjoy the comforts of home without the prospect of another tussle with the Springboks to fret about.
Not that a tangle with Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium is a fixture to leave this weekend’s “visitors” licking their lips – and certainly not in the state in which England find themselves. It is 20 years since they last lost six fully-fledged Test matches on the spin, a run that eventually led to Andy Robinson’s resignation at the end of 2006.
