‘It’s not about punishing’: Five key issues for English rugby to resolve after the Six Nations

The Rugby Football Union’s reappraisal into England’s slightest successful title for 50 years is already up and moving pinch an alacrity that would impressment Louis Bielle-Biarrey. And 1 item seems clear: barring thing spectacular, Steve Borthwick will still beryllium coaching nan squad this summer. As 1 well-placed insider put it: “This reappraisal is astir supporting Steve to make improvements. If alteration is needed alteration is needed but it’s not astir punishing him. He’s perfectly going to beryllium successful station this summer, there’s nary mobility astir that.”

That said, a wide scope of feedback is being sought, including from elder and younger players, to get to nan bottommost of England’s fifth-placed decorativeness and achy defeats by Scotland, Ireland and Italy. “It’s a due nether nan bonnet, lifting-up-the-rocks exploration of what happened aft nan first game,” says different source. “What happened successful those 3 weeks? Is it cultural, is it environmental, is it selection, is it tactics?” It is wide believed nan players demanded a greater opportunity aft nan Italy crippled and nan improvement successful Paris was conspicuous. But arsenic Exeter’s head of rugby Rob Baxter emphasises, blaming 1 aliases 2 individuals misses nan point. “The reality is that it’s ne'er 1 point that’s nan problem. It’s ne'er that 1 subordinate was missing, say, aliases nan tourney buildup was wrong. Finishing 5th is down to a postulation of things that person slow added up and past multiplied. I deliberation that’s astir apt wherever England are.”

The result of nan reappraisal won’t beryllium formally announced earlier mid-April but precocious up nan database of questions is whether – yet again – nan blend of England’s adjunct coaches needs reassessing. As Sale Sharks’ head of rugby, Alex Sanderson, puts it: “They’ve sewage rather a wide coaching squad there, a batch of cooks – not ‘spoil nan broth’ but there’s a batch of opinions to return in. That whitethorn beryllium a factor.”

A clear disconnect besides often existed successful nan Six Nations betwixt nan vibrant rugby England insist they want to play and nan reality. “In my humble opinion, station Ireland, it looked for illustration they closed up against Italy,” says Sanderson. “They looked for illustration they went backmost to a very pragmatic kick-compete style which makes you competitory but besides keeps nan guidance close. Fewer phases, less chances for modulation for nan opposition, but it besides negates your ain ambition to attack. When nan shackles came disconnected nan week aft they seemed truthful overmuch much competitive.”

Hiring Michael Cheika aliases Ronan O’Gara would toggle shape nan temper euphony but others person an replacement solution. “I would thief Steve pinch a elder fig who tin assistance him pinch immoderate of nan worldly he’s not very bully at,” says different erstwhile international. “He needs a squad head who tin woody pinch nan media and player-management issues. He needs immoderate thief pinch selection, too.”

Michael Cheika is nan Roosters forwards coach successful Australia. Bringing him successful to England’s coaching unit would toggle shape nan temper music. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Whoever is successful charge, England person slipped to sixth successful nan world rankings and their adjacent crippled is – ahem – against South Africa successful Johannesburg successful July. Within nan RFU, location is nickname nan timepiece is ticking. “The summertime is really important successful position of really nan squad shows up,” says a elder official. “The World Cup is only 18 months away.”

Some cardinal individuals will beryllium returning from wounded but caller weeks person further analyzable nan action equation, not slightest astatine fly-half and astatine centre. At Sale, for example, they still judge George Ford deserves different crack. “I deliberation consistency of action has its portion to play,” stresses Sanderson. “I’d ever person George Ford successful there.” Others for illustration Simon Halliday, nan ex-England and Bath centre, reason that nan midfield trio who featured against France should beryllium retained.

“Seb Atkinson looks for illustration he could beryllium nan correct type of feline and Tommy Freeman produced nan champion extracurricular centre capacity I’ve seen for ages for Northampton astatine Bath successful December,” says Halliday. “He ripped them to pieces and looked really bully against France. He’s a frightening imaginable to take sides against. They’ve sewage to support him astatine extracurricular centre and springiness him crippled time. Let these guys settee down.”

Look, it’s only a snapshot but England Under-18s mislaid 63-33 to France U18 astatine Chinnor astatine nan weekend. Last summertime nan England U20 broadside vanished sixth astatine nan Junior World Cup, concluding pinch a 68-40 conclusion to Australia U20. Which hints astatine a mates of things: high-scoring games are connected nan emergence and nan guidance is improving. France besides won this year’s U20 Six Nations pinch Ireland 2nd and England successful third.

On nan flipside, successful 2024 England won nan U20 crown for nan first clip since 2016 and, from that squad, Henry Pollock and Asher Opoku-Fordjour person graduated to nan elder side. “The talent excavation is good,” says Baxter. “There are a number of Premiership sides who are investing much heavy successful their academies than they ever have. The champion players still travel done rather quickly … Manny Feyi-Waboso is simply a awesome example.”

At Bath, Johann van Graan feels likewise. “There’s immoderate very bully talent successful English rugby,” he says, citing his club’s up-and-coming harvest including Kepu Tuipulotu, Vilikesa Sela, Sam Winters, Connor Treacey and Tyler Offiah. “The Prem is an absolute awesome merchandise pinch immoderate awesome players successful it.” Good news but that imaginable still needs to beryllium maximised to overtake France’s next-gen conveyor belt.

England Under-20s’ Tyler Offiah is portion of Bath’s harvest of promising young players. Photograph: Dave Winter/Inpho/Shutterstock

The extremity of automatic Prem relegation and promotion and nan imaginable of an “expansion” convention from 2029-2030 has raised further questions astir nan second-tier Champ, which this week announced a multi-year title sponsor woody pinch Elior UK. The RFU and nan Prem clubs reason that nan spread betwixt nan 2 leagues – and aft years of calculated RFU underfunding they person a constituent – is now a chasm. But, Prem Cup aside, really to springiness youngsters nan priceless elder acquisition that, for example, helped Ollie Chessum and Joe Heyes to climb from Nottingham to nan nationalist side?

“Younger players getting game-time successful bully environments wherever teamship and activity is built is not happening,” argues 1 Champ source. “At nan infinitesimal nan Prem clubs are conscionable keeping them connected their books. That’s not right.” However, negotiations are continuing and Simon Gillham, nan Tier 2 committee chair, is assured his convention tin pull expanding investment.