Six Nations preview: England to build on Rugby World Cup but come up short in title push

Next in our set of previews ahead of the Six Nations we examine the prospects of last year’s fourth-place finishers, Steve Borthwick’s England.

It’s another new era for England as a new captain is named in Borthwick’s second tilt at Championship glory, with the Red Rose looking to build on a decent World Cup.

Six Nations glory would be an incredible turnaround from past years’ showings, but improvements are likely as the pieces of the Borthwick jigsaw continue to take shape.

Last year

With less than a year until the World Cup, England made a stunning change at the top as Borthwick replaced the sacked Eddie Jones, as results and performances ultimately cost the Australian his job. Few would have predicted that decision from the Rugby Football Union so close to a global tournament, even fewer that Jones would then promptly take over at the Wallabies in a crazy period that seemed akin to football management, not rugby. Enter Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield.

Little would change in terms of results, however, as England slumped to a two wins out of five games record for a third successive year, leaving them in fourth spot as Ireland and France again dominated. Even Scotland ended five points clear of the Red Rose as Borthwick quickly understood the scale of the job at hand.

Another Calcutta Cup win for the Scots came on the opening weekend as England were undone by the auld enemy thanks in no small part to a wonder try from Duhan van der Merwe. Max Malins crossed twice in defeat but Scotland were worthy winners at Twickenham in a result that did serious damage to England’s title hopes.

The Red Rose did bounce back at home to Italy with a bonus-point success before a week’s break and then followed it up with a 20-10 win away to Wales, which offered hope going into March as they sat on 10 points in the standings and therefore in the hunt for silverware ahead of a tough finish against two heavyweight sides.

So it proved as a red card for Freddie Steward dented any hope they had of a shock win in Ireland before France thumped England 53-10 at Twickenham in a result that rocked confidence, with Rugby World Cup warm-up losses to Fiji, Ireland and Wales later in the year leading to many giving them no hope at the tournament.

Credit to Borthwick and company though in France as they progressed all the way to the semi-finals – favourable draw or not, a third-place finish meant they ended 2023 in positive fashion. The challenge now is to build in 2024 as a new era, that sees the likes of Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell not involved, gets underway.

This year

Last year it was a new head coach, this year a new captain takes over for England as hooker Jamie George replaces Farrell and looks to drive them up the table. It will be a tough ask as Ireland and France remain the two sides to beat, but some have tipped the Red Rose to continue their upward trend from the World Cup.

They begin with a tricky visit to Italy, who will be desperate for Benetton’s dazzling form to rub off on the international side. Come through that match with any kind of victory and England will be delighted before they host a Wales team that has been decimated by injury. Can the English fans dream of two wins from two?

Going into the break with that record ahead of a trip to face Scotland would give England confidence but the Scots have had their number in recent years so breaking that hoodoo is no mean feat. It’s then once again an Ireland and France finish, this time home and away, with those games a good test of where this team is at.

There’s no doubt things are moving forward on and off the field with Felix Jones’ arrival to the coaching set-up a plus. Now can they become a Six Nations challenger?

Key players

One of the players of the Rugby World Cup, there is a lot resting on the shoulders of Ben Earl as he showed what he can do at the highest level. Earl was not favoured under former boss Jones but he has since become undroppable for Borthwick and if he replicates those recent performances England can cause problems.

Another positive from the Rugby World Cup was Marcus Smith‘s showings in the full-back jersey. However, we could see Smith utilised at fly-half in 2024 due to Farrell’s absence. Forming an exciting partnership with Alex Mitchell could be the catalyst England’s attack requires so the aforementioned trio are key cogs.

Who will be crowned champions in 2024? 🏆#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/8MhW7Z9A20

— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 22, 2024

Players to watch

The absence of Farrell from a leadership perspective throws extra pressure on skipper Jamie George, so it will be interesting to see how he manages the extra responsibility. A player whose set-piece solidity is of a consistent high standard, the captaincy shouldn’t add too much of a hindrance to his game, but he will need to communicate well with referees and be a leader and focal point for his team-mates while obviously also fronting up to media amid possible scrutiny.

In terms of new faces there’s excitement over the inclusion of wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who has been in impressive form for Exeter Chiefs, as has Northampton Saints wing Tommy Freeman and fly-half Fin Smith and it will be intriguing to see how much game time the clincial trio is handed during the early rounds.

Elsewhere, there should be plenty of action for the returning Henry Slade, as midfield options open up, as he looks to make up for missing out on the World Cup.

Prospects

An improvement on that 40 per cent win record of the past three Six Nations campaigns is likely as there feels like a fresh wave of positivity in this England team.

One would expect them to win their opening two matches before that massive trip to Murrayfield but thereafter it becomes difficult, with the Irish coming to Twickenham still very much a powerhouse of the international game, while France in Lyon will be a very tough nut to crack. In the mix but no title for the Red Rose. Third.

Fixtures

Saturday, February 3 v Italy (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)

Saturday, February 10 v Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Saturday, February 24 v Scotland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

Saturday, March 9 v Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Saturday, March 16 v France (OL Stadium, Lyon)

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