England head coach Steve Borthwick is backing a new-look backline to ease the Six Nations crisis against Italy.
The backline’s only experience together is in training singlets. The selection comes after England’s defeats by Scotland and Ireland.
England’s ‘Bibs Backline’
England have opted for the bibs. Their new-look backline’s only experience together is in training singlets in practice.
The new-look backline consists of seven players from six different clubs, presenting a number of unknowns.
Smaller combinations offer thin threads of understanding. Fly-half Fin Smith and inside centre Seb Atkinson came up through the Worcester youth system and featured in six first-team games together half a decade ago.
- Smith and outside centre Tommy Freeman are both at Northampton.
- Freeman is more usually deployed on the wing, rather than midfield, at club level.
- Atkinson and wing Tom Roebuck were both part of England’s Test series win in Argentina.
Borthwick’s Training Ground Ethos
Head coach Steve Borthwick has cited different evidence this week compared to the past when he zeroed in on continuity, cohesion and the long-term lessons imprinted by the white heat of a Test match.
“Much of this backline has trained for four or five weeks together and trained very, very well,” he said.
“I say again how much I value what I see in training. I say it to the players, that I’m watching every bit of training and I value performance in training. This is a very strong message about the ethos within the England team, that you will be rewarded for performing in that sense.”
England’s Recent Downturn
England were not even close to Scotland and Ireland in the past two rounds, losing by 11 and 21 points.
They didn’t just chase the wrong gameplan, make poor decisions and show little signs of being able to switch strategies. Individually they were also under-powered, low on energy and coughing up basic errors.
It has been a collapse on multiple fronts. Two defeats shouldn’t, in theory, weigh so heavy against the 12 wins that preceded them, but it is the manner of England’s losses that has shaken belief in their long-term plans.
Itoje’s Message After Ireland Defeat
After the defeat by Ireland, captain Maro Itoje addressed his team in a huddle on the pitch.
“Success isn’t always linear… success doesn’t always go like that,” he assured them, tracing a smooth upward line though the Twickenham air.
“Sometimes it goes like that,” he went on, his hand then working a more erratic, undulating route upwards.
“Through hard work, though consistency, we’ll get it back on track. Keep faith in what we’re doing, keep faith in each other.”
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