All national coaches were invited to a meeting with officials on Sunday to discover how exactly the November games will be refereed but Borthwick has already identified two key areas where England need to be watchful. \u201cFrom my point of view there are some aspects we need to bridge from club rugby to Test rugby,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne would be the contact area. I think that was probably exemplified by last month\u2019s Champions Cup round where the English clubs lost more ball at the breakdown than any other nation and won less back. That\u2019s telling us straight away there\u2019s a situation we need to bridge. When you look at the teams we are playing against in the next few weeks there is a big breakdown challenge coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borthwick is also highlighting defensive steel \u2013 \u201cWe need to ensure we make it very, very difficult for the opposition to score\u201d \u2013 which the head coach also believes is not being aided by the four-try bonus-point system in the Prem. He would prefer the adoption of the French system where teams must score three tries more than their opponents to secure an extra point.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy view on the bonus-point structure is that it shouldn\u2019t be the way it is,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the evidence says it should follow the Top 14, which makes defence important right until the 80th minute. I think that\u2019s not necessarily always the case [in the Prem]. Nobody\u2019s to blame or at fault, that\u2019s just the way it\u2019s structured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellis Genge (third right) has been critical of the mid-season law change regarding \u2018hip-drop\u2019 tackles in the Prem. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
As for his side\u2019s tactical discipline, Borthwick has also changed his tune since July when he dubbed the media \u201cthe negativity committee\u201d after the 31-24 win against Argentina<\/a> in Santiago del Estero when he was asked about England\u2019s concession of four yellow cards in the second half. \u201cThe best players are smart and the best players adjust,\u201d said Borthwick, who invited the referee Christophe Ridley to address his players last week.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty obvious there have been times over the last six to eight months when we haven\u2019t dealt with moments the way we want to. At the 2023 World Cup this team had excellent habits \u2026 really it\u2019s been the autumn of 2025 into this year\u2019s Six Nations that cost us.<\/p>\n \u201cQuite frankly we spend too much time defending. The way the interpretations are right now there is likely to be a decision that goes against you which gives an entry into the 22. As soon as you are there, we can all see the number of cards. We spent too much time there \u2026 we want to get the ball back faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
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