It may not be the sweet taste of Six Nations success lasting on the lips of England but the final flavours of a coming-of-age campaign are nonetheless appetising. A record win in Cardiff; a first four-win championship in five years; a backing up of the belief that Steve Borthwick is steering his side in the right direction. The presentation paraphernalia prepared at the Principality for an England win were not, in the end, required, but there is much to be optimistic about.
“This is a great group of players,” head coach Borthwick beamed post-match. “They're desperate to get better. They want to learn. I’m delighted. Have we seen growth in them? There's probably a patch of about 15 minutes in the Ireland second half where we'd go ‘we wish we could rewrite that’. But I’ve said that we can’t. We have to learn as much as we can and step forward.”
After that Ireland defeat, with England contemplating the whys and wherefores of a seventh straight near miss against top tier opposition, back row Ben Earl was bullish that the dam would soon burst and the wins would flow. It proved a prescient prediction. There has been plenty of luck and pluck required along the way, particularly in the Scotland game where Borthwick and his squad conceded they had not been near their best. Even in the 10-try thrashing of Wales, the rub of the green remained – the throw of the rugby gods’ dice finally falling kindly for England after some tough breaks last year.
Inferior to France they clearly remain but the pieces of a successful side are perhaps slotting into place. For the first time in a long while, England are establishing a clear identity, going hard at the breakdown, striking quick in transition and trying to dominate in the air. Fin Smith appears the right fly half for such a strategy; having spent the time between 2010 and 2017 searching desperately for an openside flanker, Borthwick could call upon four genuine options in Cardiff even without the injured Sam Underhill and unavailable Jack Willis.
It will be six months before England’s elite assemble en masse again. Borthwick, like most rugby obsessives, has spent the last few weeks sketching out his British and Irish Lions squad, considering the options available to Andy Farrell and how many of the touring party England might provide. The pair are in regular contact, though not about England’s array of assistants, who appear set to miss out when the Lions staff is named on 26 March.
“Andy’s got some brilliantly tough decisions to make because there's so many good players around,” Borthwick said. “But it would benefit English rugby to have as many on that Lions tour as possible.
“I have done the exercise about 10 times, where I've sat there and written out which players I think will go - and I end up with a different number each time. Ollie Lawrence was one of those, so I was really disappointed for him that he's not going to have that opportunity. Hopefully there aren’t any more injuries to any players.”
Maro Itoje was talked up as a possible skipper by Borthwick post-match – the captaincy call between he and Caelan Doris will be mightily close. Beyond the skipper, they may not be bolting totally out of the blue but figures like Will Stuart and Ben Curry could have done little more to enhance their chances. Tommy Freeman, too, looks a better bet to travel having displayed his versatility with a strong first start at centre. “It’s everyone's dream, isn't it?” the 24-year-old said of the prospect of a trip Down Under. “It's the pinnacle, the top of rugby. It would be a pretty magical thing.”
The other benefit of losing a significant number of his squad will be the acceleration in the development of the coming crop. England play four fixtures during the Lions summer, three fully-fledged Tests against Argentina (twice) and the United States joined by an “England XV” encounter with France. A similar trip in 2017 played a vital role in the development of Eddie Jones’s side, with Tom Curry and Sam Underhill unearthed and a number of others taking on greater responsibility within the group.
The regeneration of this England side began last year but there are plenty knocking on the door – almost literally, it would seem. “We've got players outside our squad ringing me, texting me, wanting opportunities. There will be opportunities for those players.
“What I'd say to them is play super well for their clubs between now and the end of the season. My coaches will start planning on Thursday this week about the eventualities if a player leaves for the Lions, so we have two players in every position where you have that depth. And so those players will need to play super well for their clubs, and now push the case for selection.
“Argentina are a top-quality side. In recent seasons, they’ve beaten New Zealand, beaten Australia, beaten South Africa. We know what a formidable challenge it’s going to be, it’s a brilliant trip.”
Henry Arundell is likely to be one of those under consideration, with the 22-year-old back available having signed for Bath. Borthwick was also watching from afar with interest on Friday night as England’s U20s suffered a set-back, missing out on a grand slam with a shock defeat against an energised Wales. Having won the world title last year, hopes are still high that a golden group may come to form the bedrock of the side in the future.
Among those highly rated are locks Tom Burrow, Olamide Sodeke and Junior Kpoku, though the latter is unavailable to Borthwick while contracted at Racing 92, along with scrum half Archie McParland. Hooker Kepu Tuipulotu, meanwhile, looks set to be a star at senior level sooner rather than later. The decision to be made is whether players of real promise would benefit more from another bid at the age-grade World Championship in Italy, rather than carrying tackle bags in South America.
But one bright young thing is already threatening to give Borthwick a real back row headache. The confidence and chutzpah shown by Henry Pollock on debut in Cardiff felt special, but reflects the attitude of a new generation that his head coach wants to see more of.
“I'm really hopeful with the next group it's not rare,” he said. “I’ve spoken before about the shirt feeling heavy, where players put the shirt on and go ‘let's not make a mistake, don't do anything wrong’.
“I don't think Henry is conscious of that. He just comes on and wants to win. Comes on and wants the ball. And if there's something I could change and develop with this team through this whole next generation, is for them to be energised by the shirt. Bring you all your personality, bring all your skill, and he did that today. I'm really hopeful this under-20s group is just going to come in, used to winning, used to playing together, and want to just get the ball in their hands, just like he does.”
