Steve Borthwick mops at his brow, the England head coach feeling the heat. The sun shines bright in the Veneto, where Borthwick and his side have decamped for a vital week of hot weather training. This summer of preparation is all the more important after squandering a World Cup cycle, four years of work having to be done almost on fast forward.
There are certainly worse places for those preparations to intensify, but with temperatures up over 40C, and the humidity stifling as they train, England’s players are not finding Verona quite so fair.
