The standout players during this Six Nations have been the youngsters who are just tentatively making their way onto the Test stage. When they are in a spot and crumbling, say against France, it was worrying to see their big name players failing to put their hands up. They didn’t fear him as a person, but they feared what he could do to their careers and it’s seeped into their on-field decision making. For all the talk that Eddie wanted them to think for themselves, they didn’t because he was so dictatorial. One area I really feel England are lacking is leadership and it’s not just this Six Nations – it’s been an issue for some time. So, what does areas does Steve Borthwick have to address with 170 days until their first pool game against Argentina in Marseille? They’re not performing at a level we know they can because they’re bereft of confidence, however, there are players capable of reaching those levels. In the past few days, I’ve seen it bandied about that England don’t have any world-class players but if someone hadn’t watched rugby for two years and looked at that squad, they’d say it looked decent. They needed that bounceback against Ireland, and although they didn’t win, it will have banished the thinking that they simply can’t compete against elite opposition. If I’m honest, I’m not overly optimistic about England’s chances because their loss against France was properly catastrophic. When approaching this column, I’ve looked for faint glimmers of positivity but I do not want to come across as if I’m saying ‘it’ll all be alright on the night’ because England are properly behind the eight ball.
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