Eddie Jones blames Steve Borthwick’s ‘looking ahead’ comments for England slump

England are reeling after successive heavy defeats to Scotland and Ireland (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Eddie Jones believes England’s dramatic collapse in the Guinness Six Nations can be explained by Steve Borthwick’s overconfidence in looking ahead to a title decider against France before the tournament had begun.

Successive emphatic defeats to Scotland and Ireland have undone the progress made during a 12-Test winning run and turned the round-four appointment against Italy in Rome on March 7 into a game they dare not lose.