England finished fourth in the Six Nations table after their 29-16 loss to Grand Slam winners Ireland in Dublin; Steve Borthwick’s team now has less than six months to prepare for the World Cup in France; “I’m excited for what these players can do for the World Cup”
Henry Slade is tackled by Ireland’s Bundee Aki during England’s 29-16 Six Nations defeat in Dublin.
England manager Steve Borthwick is “excited” about his team’s World Cup prospects despite their disappointing Six Nations campaign.
Borthwick’s team, which ended with a 29-16 loss to Grand Slam winners Ireland, finished fourth in the table after recording two wins and three losses for the third year in a row.
Although England’s performance in Dublin was a vast improvement on France’s 53-10 defeat a week earlier, there was little indication that they could be top contenders for this autumn’s world tournament.
“We will fully report on this Six Nations, take the lessons we learn from it and be clear about our direction going forward,” Borthwick said.
“The team is not where it could be and although we are judging against teams that have used this four-year cycle tremendously well, that is not the position England are in.
“I can’t do anything about the past. I intend to work very hard to put England in the best possible position and I’m excited about what these players can do for the World Cup.”
The former Leicester head coach, who took over from Eddie Jones in December, is relishing the prospect of having more time to work with his team in the coming months.
He added: “We have several weeks to prepare [for the World Cup]. The players will then be conditioned for international rugby and will understand how we want to play.
Jamie George passed in the second half with England to 14 players
“These have been five intense games and you effectively have one main training session a week.
“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the players over a longer period of time. I think we’ve seen some growth here, but we’ll see more in that period of preparation.”
England led for much of the first half in Dublin through the first two of their captain Owen Farrell’s three penalties, but suffered a setback just before the substitution when Freddie Steward was sent off for foul play.
As the full-back spun to the side, his arm collided with the head of Ireland’s Hugo Keenan, who ducked to recover a loose ball, and referee Jaco Peyper issued a red card.
Freddie Steward received a red card from referee Jaco Peyper just before half time
Despite being down a man, England pushed the home side to the finish, scoring a try through Jamie George before Ireland cruised to a 29-16 triumph and the trophy.
Reflecting on Steward’s red card, Farrell admitted: “I was surprised if I’m being honest. But it’s not up to us, we don’t make the rules, we don’t enforce them.”
“We didn’t listen to the process the referee goes through, we just had to accept it. The way we reacted after that red card was very good.”
“We fought for each other. Unfortunately we didn’t get the right result, which is always disappointing in an England shirt.”
