Even when they won 11 of 12 matches in 2025, England were ranked second-bottom of rugby’s tier-one nations for the number of points they scored each time they entered the opposition 22. Their average of 2.72 was above only Argentina.
The victories Steve Borthwick and his players achieved papered over those cracks, but the theme has continued in this Six Nations and there is now no hiding place. Failing to turn pressure into points has been a big failing for England in this championship, among many.
England have the second highest number of opposition 22 entries in the tournament with 48, but the second worst points per entry rate. They average just two per visit.
That’s not good enough. Even though scoring rates have increased in rugby, in the international game it is still incredibly hard to get the board moving.
To have success, you simply have to take your chances when they come. After three straight defeats by Scotland, Ireland and Italy, Borthwick and his players are copping it from all angles. There are a multitude of issues England need to fix going into France on Saturday.
England don’t score many tries when they start possession in the 22. This is a major problem.
England base their game plan around getting into the 22 on several occasions and enough of those paying off – but their points per 22 entry has been dismal so far this Six Nations
Steve Borthwick’s game plan involves a lot of kicking – and England have doubled down on it this championship. Their attack is all brute force, no guile
A lot of people have been left scratching their heads as to how England’s fortunes have changed so quickly. What’s interesting is that in my opinion, there was a slight improvement in the deception of England’s attack against Italy.
Tommy Freeman’s try saw England move the point of attack, switch play from side to side and have their forwards at the line playing tip-on passes. For Tom Roebuck’s score, Fin Smith also changed direction in an instant with a clever cross-kick.
But there haven’t been enough of these moments. England’s game plan involves a lot of kicking and the messaging from their training camp in Italy this week has been to double down on that. Their attack is all brute force. They use the sledgehammer rather than the scalpel.
In this Six Nations, England have made a lot of uncharacteristic errors in the 22 with top-end, highly experienced players making basic mistakes. There have been a lot of spilled balls. Many of those have come from forwards and I think this is part of the problem.
England’s attacking structures ask a lot of their pack. There is not much deception. Borthwick asks his forwards to carry relentlessly and for long phases of play and that has a big impact physically. It is no surprise that it leads to tiredness, and that is when errors creep in.
Even Lions like Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge can make mistakes under pressure and when fatigued. That’s what we’ve seen, especially in the Scotland and Ireland games. England have also tended to attack too narrowly, their one-up forward runners focusing on the area between the two 15-metre lines rather than in the wide channels. More variety is undoubtedly needed.
Against the best defences, who are physical and motivated, it is too easy to defend against the type of attack England are bringing. As they search for a way to bounce back against France on Saturday and look further ahead, England could do a lot worse than to analyse Scotland. They won’t like doing so, but the way Gregor Townsend’s side attacked in their high-scoring victory over Les Bleus was incredibly impressive.
The key to their success in Edinburgh was moving the point of contact and cleaning the ruck expertly to ensure quick ruck ball. Scotland kept France guessing. England, by contrast, have become too predictable. Another thing missing from their game is offloading, but it’s very difficult for any side to totally change their attack in the space of a week.
Attack coach Lee Blackett’s stock rose in 2025 but England have hit a brick wall again in this year’s Six Nations
Despite England’s defeat in Italy, there were a few signs of progression – Ben Earl was one of several forwards to have ball-playing moments at the line
But even though they were beaten by Italy, I do think there were some signs of progression in Rome. Forwards Joe Heyes, Alex Coles and Ben Earl all had their ball-playing moments at the line, allowing No 10 Smith to operate behind the pods of forward carriers.
That’s key because there is no one better in English club rugby at moving an attack around than Smith. If England can make further strides in that regard in Paris, there is cause for hope. It may well not be enough for victory, but England don’t need to totally reinvent themselves overnight.
Borthwick can’t just throw the baby out with the bathwater and start playing sevens, especially because I think there is a hell of a lot riding on this game. I’ve seen some people say England have nothing to lose because France will know a win will likely seal them the title and Borthwick’s men are already out of the running.
But I disagree with that. England are likely to end this Six Nations with their worst ever finish and if Wales beat Italy, they could even finish bottom. That would be totally unacceptable for a team of England’s depth of talent and resource. A heavy defeat would also only add to the pressure on Borthwick.
| Age | Caps | |
|---|---|---|
| 15. Elliot Daly | 33 | 75 |
| 14. Tom Roebuck | 25 | 11 |
| 13. Tommy Freeman | 25 | 27 |
| 12. Seb Atkinson | 23 | 3 |
| 11. Cadan Murley | 27 | 5 |
| 10. Fin Smith | 23 | 15 |
| 9. Ben Spencer | 33 | 17 |
| 1. Ellis Genge | 31 | 79 |
| 2. Jamie George | 35 | 109 |
| 3. Joe Heyes | 26 | 21 |
| 4. Maro Itoje (capt) | 31 | 101 |
| 5. Alex Coles | 26 | 18 |
| 6. Ollie Chessum | 25 | 34 |
| 7. Guy Pepper | 22 | 11 |
| 8. Ben Earl | 28 | 50 |
| Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Rodd, Davison, Cunningham-South, Underhill, Pollock, Van Poortvliet, M Smith. |
Another issue England need to fix is discipline. They would have beaten Italy last weekend if Sam Underhill and Itoje weren’t yellow-carded. Borthwick certainly shouldn’t be immune from criticism, but he isn’t telling his players to make high tackles and commit silly breakdown infringements. Itoje’s sin-binning in particular was indefensible.
Borthwick has so many questions to answer, but the England players have to take a lot of responsibility too.
I do expect France to take home the title for the second straight year.
I was as shocked as anyone by them shipping 50 points in Edinburgh, so I expect Fabien Galthie’s men to come with a big response. It says everything about what a crazily good Six Nations this has been that England are now looking to Scotland for inspiration.
You wouldn’t have said that would happen before the tournament. Scotland have been outstanding, but I think the injuries to their squad mean they might struggle to beat Ireland in Dublin. An Irish victory would leave them praying for a favour from England if Andy Farrell’s side are to win the title, but I can’t see that happening.