What do England want to be? What are they trying to be? How are they perceived by opponents and what is the identity they are trying to forge? The very fact that these are not easy questions to answer illustrates the predicament for Steve Borthwick’s side with two daunting Six Nations matches remaining.
To frame things another way, try summing up England in a single sentence. For a lot of their rivals it is a far easier task: Ireland are a well-oiled team, relentless and precise. Wales are green but full of fight, Scotland lethal on the counterattack. Beyond the Six Nations, South Africa are a team who knock the front door down, and New Zealand marry speed and skill like no other. But England?
