England can build on 48-46 loss in Paris, he believes
Head coach calls some key officiating calls ‘debatable’
Steve Borthwick says the pain of England’s last-gasp defeat to France can drive them on to better times despite their unsuccessful Six Nations campaign. Borthwick’s side finished second bottom of this year’s table but came agonisingly close to dashing French title hopes before losing 48-46 in one of the all-time great championship fixtures.
Borthwick, who said he still believed he was “the right man to lead the team forward”, could not hide his disappointment after Thomas Ramos secured a last-gasp home victory with the final kick of an extraordinary game. “I’m really disappointed for the players and supporters … it was so close to being a special day,” he said.
“We came into the tournament with high aspirations and we’re really disappointed we haven’t been able to meet those targets. I know the supporters are hurting as well. Everyone involved with the team cares so deeply. I sense a determination to make sure this hurt makes the team stronger in the future. The team has gone through a tough spell in the last few weeks [but] it has a lot of growth in it. I believe this pain will be used to make the team stronger in the future. The way we played today is how we want to play going forward.”
