Patience a virtue as new-look England yet to click

Steve Borthwick's side have failed to fire.

EVOLUTION: England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth during the England rugby captain's run at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Nine points scored in defeat to Wales at the start of the month, 19 in victory against the same opposition last week. Just the one try. Cut that any way you want and it equates to a worryingly blunt age for Steve Borthwick’s England.

George Ford was quizzed on that very point this last week and the out-half’s response was to suggest that the squad’s attacking game is closer than it looks right now to the naked eye. It was an explanation basically asking for trust and patience.

Johnny Sexton made a similar case for Ireland through the early rounds of the 2021 Six Nations and was eventually proven to be spot on when everything finally clicked for the team in a breakthrough 32-18 defeat of the English.

If that’s a comfort for the 2003 World Cup winners then it's one that has to be outweighed by the many differences between Ireland then and them now, just weeks out from the real thing in France.

Andy Farrell has a slew of world-class talent available to him, Borthwick is ridiculously light in some departments for a nation with their resources. Add to that the very different paths both sides found themselves travelling on.

Farrell wasn’t long in the door as Joe Schmidt’s successor but he led a mostly settled group or lieutenants. Borthwick is less than a year into his residency and Richard Wigglesworth is just in the door as England’s fourth attack coach since the last World Cup.

Still, best side out and all that.

“We have no doubt that we have got to improve in that area and we will work incredibly hard to do it,” said Wigglesworth. “It tends to be the last thing to click into place but the appetite from the players to get it right is there and that gives me great confidence.” 

Defence, by way of contrast, is usually the first and the most straightforward of principals to get right and the concession of 53 points to France last spring prompted a hugely improved effort on that side of the ball when England came to Dublin a week later.

Andy Farrell and James Ryan have both referenced the English line speed in that game when previewing today’s meeting earlier this week and Wigglesworth channeled Jack Cahrlston’s most famous line when framing the job they face against Ireland’s attack in Dublin.

“We need to put them under pressure as they will be putting us under pressure with their game. We need to convert when we get opportunities. They are incredibly clinical in what they do so we need to limit their opportunities as much as we can.

“We know the longer they spend down there, the more chances they have with the quality of player they have, and the length of time they have been together (means) they will eventually convert with the standard of their plays.”