Eddie Jones believes England’s dramatic collapse in the 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 7 March into a game they dare not lose.
Jones, Borthwick’s predecessor as England head coach, questioned whether the Rugby Football Union might have had an influence on the remarks. “I thought Steve made some very uncharacteristic comments about a title-decider against France, looking ahead,” Jones told the Rugby Unity podcast. “Steve is the most pragmatic and intelligent coach you could meet, but to look ahead for any team is fraught with danger.”
Jones insisted that the 31-20 mauling at Murrayfield left a mental scar that was carried into the five-try rout by Ireland. “They got caught on the hop against Scotland,” he said. “That was a one-off, but now that one-off has crept into their psyche.”
England next travel to Italy, who will be without full-back Ange Capuozzo for the remainder of the Six Nations after he suffered a serious shoulder injury against France.
