One abject defeat could be considered unfortunate, but two in as many weeks...? If England could feasibly write off the 31-20 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield as just a bad day at the office, especially given the amount of credit they built up during the 12 straight wins that preceded it, the 42-21 humiliation that followed against Ireland on home soil suddenly raises serious questions about the direction of this team.
England’s recent Calcutta Cup record is decidedly dicey, particularly away from home, so, while the mental block in place against the Scots will need to be overcome eventually, the Edinburgh embarrassment was at least somewhat explicable. When a record home defeat to Ireland follows seven days later at Twickenham – a place that had remained a fortress for more than a year – with all the same issues plus a couple of additional ones for good measure, the questions start to become existential.
