Steve Borthwick’s side begin their campaign against Argentina on Saturday
We were promised “ad nauseam” that England under new coach Steve Borthwick would peak at the right time, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. “All the low-water marks” of recent times – November’s capitulation to South Africa; March’s record loss to France – were “passed off with the blithe assurance” that things would be better “come the World Cup”. Well it’s here – England play Argentina on Saturday – and the long-heralded improvement has failed to materialise. Instead, England begin their campaign on the back of a 30-22 loss to Fiji – one of their worst-ever defeats. The side’s supporters “could be forgiven for feeling they have been taken for fools”.
