Borthwick ticks all the right boxes as for England

[Nilda Hass]

The moment of truth has arrived.
England’s new era begins today at Twickenham with the latest instalment of rugby union’s oldest international — and the omens are good for the hosts.<br>In 2012, Stuart Lancaster’s tenure as head coach began with a narrow win over Scotland.
In 2016, the era also began with a narrow win over Scotland. Now, in 2023, Steve Borthwick will hope to emulate his predecessors in vanquishing the Scots in his opening assignment.<br>England are relaunching in a tight timeframe.

The RFU hierarchy rolled the dice when they sacked Jones in December and accelerated the recruitment of Borthwick. Now, Bill Sweeney and Co must sit in the smart seats and await initial evidence of whether or not it was a shrewd move.<br> <br /> So far, there has been endless positivity, but now all the theory must turn to substance.

Borthwick has brought Kevin Sinfield with him from Leicester and that has been universally acclaimed as a canny appointment. Tick. <br>Nick Evans was added to oversee the attack. More praise. Tick. A squad and a team were picked on logical form grounds.
More praise. Tick.<br> Steve Borthwick is preparing to embark on a new era of English rugby under his guidance<br> RELATED ARTICLES

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All the right noises have been made about the fresh start, but what will it look like? England should be passionate and far more coherent today, after the desperate confusion of the autumn.<br>The official mantra has been all about clarity and fight, and a set-piece focus.

The national team can be expected to showcase improvement in the nuts-and-bolts basics, but beyond that it is all a bit of a mystery, for now.<br>Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell will resume their 10-12 partnership and the assumption is that the presence of Evans — Smith’s mentor at Harlequins — will create greater cohesion than has been evident to date.<br>Whether or not there is a liberation, too, remains to be seen, but full back Freddie Steward has spoken optimistically about the impact of his presence.<br>‘He’s been fantastic, with loads of energy, and he loves that quick-ball, attacking rugby,’ said the Leicester Tigers man, when asked about Evans.

‘He’s been brilliant in camp and we can hopefully see that on Saturday.'<br>On the Smith-Farrell axis, Steward added: ‘They are two unbelievable rugby players and we are very lucky to have them on the pitch at the same time.
It’s a relationship that doesn’t just click immediately. I’m really excited to see them together.'<br>The head-to-head between artistic fly-halves has the potential to be a glorious box-office spectacle, if they are both given the freedom to play on instinct.

Between Smith and Finn Russell, the whole box of tricks could be on display.<br>Steward is alert to the danger posed by Scotland’s Bath-bound maestro, saying: ‘He’s probably a back three player’s greatest enemy. He is an exceptional, very clever rugby player.'<br> Owen Farrell will captain England for the first game of Borthwick’s tenure against Scotland<br>So much is at stake today for England.

They know that they don’t have the luxury of rebuilding in a pressure-free vacuum.<br>
First of all, this rivalry has turned emphatically Scotland’s way, as they have claimed three wins and a draw in the last five clashes with their ‘auld enemy’.

The Calcutta Cup has largely resided north of the border in the recent past and regaining it should be the primary objective for Borthwick’s side.<br>Beyond that initial goal, England will be hell-bent on reviving their standing in the Six Nations.
The last two campaigns both yielded two wins out of five. <br>Such a dire record is utterly unacceptable for the best-resourced country in the tournament. The powers-that-be at the RFU know that and Borthwick knows that, too.

England need to be challenging for the annual European prize again.<br>Further ahead, but not by much, it is only seven months until the World Cup begins. There is much to do in a hurry, with that bigger-picture target in mind, as well as the more pressing business in this Six Nations.

Ideally, a discernible outline of the future vision will become apparent immediately.<br>So, what can the English rugby public expect in the short term? There is bound to be a hefty dose of pragmatism, at least to start with. <br> England will be looking for revenge against Scotland after multiple defeats to their opponents<br>Everything Borthwick and Sinfield have said in the last month or so points to sleeves being rolled up and layers gradually being added to a base of hard graft.<br>Fans will get behind a team that gives body and soul to the cause, but they will also hope to see Smith in magician mode, and the likes of Ollie Hassell-Collins and Max Malins unleashed in space.<br>Scottish successes in this fixture have often been founded on a breakdown blitz and there will be a major onus on Ben Curry to lead the hosts’ efforts to combat that this time, in the absence of his injured twin brother, Tom.<br>The Sale flanker is one of many with points to prove.

Another is Joe Marchant, who will seek to reprise the telepathic connection with Smith which serves Quins so well — to prove he deserved to be selected in midfield ahead of Manu Tuilagi. <br> Manu Tuilagi was a surprise omission from the England Six Nations squad that was announced<br>And the tight five, driven by wounded pride, will seek to prove they can be a fearsome force again, in the scrum and beyond.<br>At some stage, Dan Cole will join that mission on his first cap since the 2019 World Cup final, at the age of 35. <br>His twin sons, Ralph and Henry, are relishing their father’s involvement in a gladiatorial contest.

‘They have been learning about the Romans at school, so they are basically excited to come to the rugby colosseum,’ said Leicester’s veteran tighthead.<br>Unlike in the Roman arenas, it isn’t a fight to death today. Instead, for England, it is a fight to prove at the earliest opportunity that life after Jones can be prosperous.<br>

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