DAN BIGGAR: HOW STEVE BORTHWICK HAS REVITALISED ENGLAND - CHANGES IN SELECTION, HUGELY EXCITING WINGERS IN IMMANUEL FEYI-WABOSO AND GEORGE FURBANK AND A MORE RELAXED ENVIRONMENT OFF THE FIELD

Steve Borthwick has made a major impact in managing to revitalise England
Borthwick has adapted his approach and his players are more relaxed

England should always be one of the leading nations in world rugby with the depth of talent they can choose from and the financial backing they have from the RFU.

But since 2019, they haven’t produced the performances they’ve been capable of, certainly in the Six Nations where they have had below-par finishes.

However, 2024 has been a breakthrough year for Steve Borthwick’s men. England now have a young, vibrant and attacking team that is playing an attractive brand of running rugby.

As a former Wales player, it’s worrying me that England are really picking up! Borthwick has exciting players at his disposal and the team has a good age profile with the 2027 World Cup in mind. They are challenging the best teams now, but can still improve further too.

There has been a marked change in England’s approach which is in direct contrast to the way they’ve played in previous years.

Gone is the game plan dominated by kicking and forward carriers. England have revamped their style to be more attacking.

Here’s how they’ve done it…

RIPPING UP THE TEAM

As head coach, Borthwick has clearly changed his selection policy. The players you pick and how you play the game are intertwined. When he took over from Eddie Jones, Borthwick initially selected mainly Leicester and Saracens players and England’s style reflected that of those two clubs. But with Northampton the form team this season, Borthwick has picked a lot of Saints players. I think England’s style is now more similar to that of Saints and Harlequins – two Premiership teams who are very good to watch.

Borthwick has picked form players for England like Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank to name just a few. But the key thing he’s done is adapt the team’s style to the players he’s picked. For example, there would be no point playing a kick-heavy game with Mitchell and Smith as halfbacks because that wouldn’t suit their strengths. In many ways it’s easy as a coach to pick in-form players. But what Borthwick has been brave in doing is also marrying that with a game plan that is very different to what he has utilised in his coaching career elsewhere. That’s the hard part and for doing that, Borthwick deserves a lot of credit.

RUN FIRST, KICK SECOND!

Selection underpins everything you do in international rugby. And the one selection which has shown what this new England team is all about is the preference of Furbank at full-back over Freddie Steward. That was until Furbank withdrew from the second Test with an injury! I’m sure England will be very disappointed to lose Furbank as it is likely to change their approach. With his work in the air and kicking game, Steward is brilliant at what he does. Many people were surprised when he was dropped for the Six Nations game with Scotland. England lost that match, but Borthwick has kept the faith with Furbank and been rewarded.

Furbank always wants to run the ball when he receives it in the back field whereas Steward prefers to put boot to ball. Both styles can work, but it’s clear Borthwick wants to move away from a kick battle. In Furbank, Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman, England’s first-choice back three is all about a running threat. With Smith at 10, England also have a real danger.

Across the park they now have players with real pace, summed up by Ben Earl at No 8 who is in fine form. Clearly you can’t run everything in Test rugby. England do kick when they have to, but what I noticed from their first Test with New Zealand was that there were a lot of attacking kicks. England previously went to the air a lot to try and win territory and retain possession, but now their kicks have a different intent.

Even a player like Ollie Lawrence, who is more renowned for his power in the carry, was at it in Dunedin. A good example of a positive England attacking kick was Smith’s cross-kick to Henry Slade for a try against Japan. England lost their first All Blacks Test narrowly and it was a game they should have won, but I think there were plenty of positives to take. It was another step in the right direction.

TARGETING THE SHORT SIDE WITH MITCHELL

When I played for Wales against England, we knew they would rely a lot on players like Billy Vunipola and Manu Tuilagi coming direct at us. They would want those two to get them over the gainline and give them momentum. As a Wales team, we’d avoid kicking the ball off the park because that would give England line-outs and suit their powerful driving maul. England have normally been a team based heavily on a traditional attacking shape. They look to cross the gainline and move the ball one way. If they can’t do that, they kick to try and force the opposition into a mistake. England’s current crop has a bit more about them and the key to that is Mitchell at scrum-half. I played with him at Northampton so know well what he can do.

One of his strengths is to target the short side of an opposition’s defence. That means that if there is more space to the left, for example, and that is the direction of play, he might suddenly come back right.

Mitchell is a real sniping threat around the ruck and the fact he is always looking to play either side of the contact area stops an opposition’s line speed. They can’t fly up so quickly in defence if they’re not sure which way Mitchell is going to go. You have to remember that Mitchell wasn’t even in England’s initial World Cup squad last year, but went on to start the tournament and is now first-choice No 9. That sums up how much England have changed. He is vital to this new England and is a brilliant partner for Smith.

Another example of England’s changed approach was Maro Itoje’s try in the first Test with New Zealand. England would traditionally look to drive a line-out five metres from the opposition line. But what they did last weekend was fake a drive and then pop the ball to Chandler Cunningham-South who used his huge power to make the most of the space created. Itoje scored from the next phase. These are minor tweaks, but can have big impacts. Itoje’s try showed how innovative England have become and how well coached they are.

HUNGRY WINGERS

I’ve already mentioned Feyi-Waboso and Freeman. They are two hugely exciting wingers who have had fine club seasons with Exeter and Northampton. But for me, they are not traditional wingers. They pop up all over the pitch looking for work. They are hungry. They want their hands on the ball and to have loads of touches. When I was Wales 10 during our successful periods, we had Alex Cuthbert and George North who constantly came off their wings to provide extra ball carrying options. Feyi-Waboso and Freeman aren’t as physically big as Cuthbert and North, but there is a comparison to be made because of how often they are involved.

It makes such a big difference to your attack when as a No 10, you have lots and lots of options. Feyi-Waboso and Freeman constantly offer themselves wherever the play is on the pitch. They don’t just wait out wide to get the ball. England used to pick wingers who specialised in kick-chase and were good under the high ball. Feyi-Waboso and Freeman are different and very dangerous.

They’re also excellent defensively and work well in England’s blitz system which is also improving quickly. They’re like having two extra back-rows on the field with their work off the ball. I’ve been really impressed by Feyi-Waboso in particular. His all-round game is excellent and he has really improved. It looks like he’s made a good decision to play for England over Wales, but I’m really disappointed as a Welshman he’s now wearing a white shirt not a red one!

IMPROVED ENVIRONMENT OFF THE FIELD

I think one of the things that has helped England to thrive on the field has been the atmosphere off it. Speaking to a few of their players, the environment is now a lot more relaxed. Before, I think it was very, very serious. Whether the way the team has played has led to the change in atmosphere or vice versa is a bit chicken and egg. But in many ways, it’s a bit of a moot point.

The reality as an international player is that if you’re playing good rugby and enjoying your work, the camp is going to be happy. And when you have a happy squad, it tends to lead to improved performances. Borthwick is a notoriously intense character but I think he has lightened up to a degree and that’s helped the players.

England’s win over Ireland in the Six Nations was a big turning point, both in terms of the result and the performance. If England continue this upward trajectory, I see no reason why they can’t level their series with New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday.

2024-07-12T16:21:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd