England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, has acknowledged his team are trailing in the wake of several of their major rivals and need to start finishing games more strongly if they are to be a rejuvenated force in this season’s Six Nations championship and the Rugby World Cup later this year.
While England did manage to secure their first victory under him by beating Italy 31-14 on Sunday, there was a stark contrast between the quality of their performance and Saturday’s epic game between Ireland and France in Dublin. England still have to face both those sides after their meeting with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday week.
