After their poorest pair of tournament performances in years, Steve Borthwick’s project is inevitably under scrutiny
T
he band on the stadium concourse were playing a familiar tune in the immediate aftermath of England’s latest debacle on Saturday. “Zombie! Zombie!” the vocalist sang, ostensibly in tribute to Ireland’s record 42-21 victory at Twickenham. Alternatively he might just have been riffing on the horribly listless, blank-eyed performance that ended England’s Six Nations title hopes for another year.
“In your he-ad, in your he-ad…” The old Cranberries anthem, synonymous with Ireland’s 2023 World Cup campaign in France, will be heard a few more times over the next month if Andy Farrell’s team maintain their revitalised excellence and no-nonsense physical intent. For England’s players, though, the past two weekends have been truly grim, a return to the bad old days they had dared to hope were over.
Alas, dear reader, we may also have given the impression in these pages before the tournament that England were on the rise. Twelve wins on the spin had certainly encouraged the notion that Steve Borthwick’s side were gaining momentum, even if France were still well ahead of them. Sobering defeats for Ireland, Scotland and Wales on the opening weekend further stoked that breathless narrative. All of which – ahem – now feels a long, long time ago.
