As recently as four months ago England were caught between two stools. Their desire to play a different brand of rugby was not being matched by their on-field execution and they had just been beaten 30-21 in Scotland. It had the feel of a genuine sliding-doors moment and a clear-the-air meeting was duly convened.
The bottom line was simple. There was significant talent in the backline which was not being sufficiently utilised. A collective change of mindset was required if England were going to fulfil their attacking potential, as one of the team’s new vice-captains Henry Slade recalled this week.
