Steve Borthwick has laid bare the scale of the task to transform England in criticising the state of the scrum and maul he inherited from Eddie Jones.
New England boss Borthwick cuts a diplomatic, respectful figure and remains loath to look backwards, especially with the speed of change required to make a success of his new job.
But the former Bath and Saracens lock pointed to the sorry state of traditional English strengths to illustrate the battle ahead, in light of Saturday’s 29-23 Six Nations defeat by Scotland.
“Ultimately at this point I think it’s clear to say that England’s set-piece in recent times has not been strong,” said Borthwick. “We always want to have a strong set-piece and maul, but those will take time build, and we have to persevere with that.
“England haven’t had a strong maul for a few years now, so have to improve that. We have to add different weapons to our game.”
Scotland punished England’s poor defence through Duhan van der Merwe’s brace and a score for Huw Jones, to claim three straight Calcutta Cup wins for the first time since 1972. Gregor Townsend’s side have beaten England four times in their last six meetings, in another indicator of Borthwick’s required rebuild.
Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell linked far more fluidly in a potent England attack though, where Max Malins raced in twice and Ellis Genge also crossed. Both Smith and Farrell see growth in their partnership, that failed to generate any rhythm in the miserable autumn series that cost Eddie Jones his job.
Leicester’s Dan Kelly appears the main option as a more traditional, power-based inside centre, but missed the Scotland game with a thigh injury. England’s midfield attacking groove was undermined by ragged defensive work, which will prove a focus for the new coaching staff in the build-up to Sunday’s clash with Italy at Twickenham.
“I think it’s improving, Owen and I get on really well on and off the field,” said Smith. “I thought we made a decent start, but it wasn’t enough for the result.
“I feel we have got closer, got tighter and more connected on the field, but we’re still early in our relationship. I’m loving playing with Owen, I’m loving learning from him and it’s only going to get better. I believe that.”
England captain Farrell reported a far stronger overall view of the Test team’s attacking set-up than in the muddled November offering.
“When the team’s on the front foot there’s a flow to it, we feel really good and we’ll get more of that,” he said. “People will focus on partnerships and individuals, but we’ve got to get better as a whole team.”
