Psychologically this England side are in a fascinating space; in the realm of “tough conversations” behind closed doors, as Steve Borthwick put it this week.
A shell-shocked England trailed 17-0 at Ellis Park last weekend before they had even had a chance to think about the fact that they were playing at altitude; against South Africa in their Nations Championship opener. They fought back admirably.
To only trail by three points at the break took real grit. Captain Jamie George went as far as to suggest that England had South Africa “rattled” during that passage. Pieter-Steph du Toit, leading the Springboks in the absence of Siya Kolisi, responded to that assertion with as much emotion as Ivan Drago. Sure, England had a good burst, and another one midway through the second-half to haul their way back to 31-21. But “rattled” felt a little ambitious.
Defeat in South Africa marked five losses on the bounce for England, which is an ominous place for any international head coach to find themselves. Borthwick may not be interested in revealing too much of those conversations, but he has never shied away from discussing how much this role means to him.
This week, ahead of his side returning to the north to take on Fiji in Liverpool, he recalled going to watch England face New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1997. His teachers took Borthwick and the school rugby team in a minibus. He witnessed the famous haka where Richard Cockerill, the England hooker, and his New Zealand counterpart Norm Hewitt got to know each other very well indeed, going nose to nose.
“Seeing that for the first time, I was absolutely hooked on English rugby. All I wanted to do was play for England, and then I got the chance to captain England and then assistant coach and now head coach,” Borthwick said.
He brought it up to emphasise to his squad that there will be several fans at the Hill Dickinson Stadium watching England play for the first time having previously supported from afar. But he also wanted to highlight that, once you retire as a player, you do not have to put yourself through the wringer of being an England coach. You have to want it.
“Nobody makes you do that – you do that and you accept the scrutiny, you accept the pressure, you accept the expectation because you want to try and achieve some great things.”
What is clear, at this juncture, is that the opportunity for Borthwick to oversee those achievements is in a precarious position. Even a commanding win over Fiji – which England certainly delivered, winning 73-8 on Merseyside – will do little to change that status given that England were considerable favourites and effectively left in a no-win situation.
Of their three summer matches, this was always the game they were expected to win, while hopefully picking up a result in either South Africa or Argentina, ideally both. Scoring 11 tries against a Fiji side with clear set-piece issues based on their earlier defeat this month against Wales certainly helps, but it is also not enough to eradicate the disappointment of the last six months. Stopping the losing streak at five Tests certainly helps, but is also unlikely to sway many doubters.
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The apocalyptic outcome of England losing was comfortably avoided. It would have been hard to see a way back for Borthwick had England lost here. When Fiji stunned England three years ago in a Rugby World Cup warm-up, also under Borthwick, England made amends by defeating Argentina in Marseille and then getting the better of Fiji in the quarter-final, making that landmark day for Fiji at Twickenham more of a preparatory blip.
There would have been no safety net this time, but frankly, England never had to be worried. They suffocated Fiji in the first half through scrum and maul pressure, limiting one of the game’s more dangerous attacks to just a single entry into England’s 22 in the first half. And even then a try for Kalaveti Ravouvou was chalked off due to Simione Kuruvoli kicking out in frustration at Ellis Genge at a previous ruck, earning the Fiji scrum-half a rare (these days) permanent red card.
No one had a happier time than Joe Heyes, the Leicester prop who has improved rapidly over the past two years, churning scrum penalties out of Fiji’s Eroni Mawi. And the workrate of Seb Atkinson and Guy Pepper, two of England’s many try-scorers, should be acknowledged, along with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for a superb diving finish in the corner.
Bringing Henry Slade back in gave England an in-form and experienced back, scoring on his return and setting up Henry Pollock with a gem of a ball for one of Pollock’s three scores, while England had three uncapped players in their squad. Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who only qualified for England this week after a five-year residency, scored more or less with his first touch, and they like George Kloska the character as much as the player.
But the excitement around Noah Caluori in particular, the joint-top try-scorer in the Prem this year at 19 years old with the world at his feet, was palpable.
“I’ve genuinely never seen anything like it,” George said in the build-up about his Saracens team-mate. “He’s able to do things that other people aren’t physically able to do and it’s a thing of beauty when he gets it right. The excitement should be there because we haven’t had a player like this for a very, very long time.”
Caluori assisted Slade’s score before the favour was returned, finishing off a strike move with one his familiar dives. ‘Air Caluori’ taking flight. England will hope there are tens more of those moments to come.
This was a welcome blowout with some signs of ruthlessness, giving England a lift after a tough few months. It was also no shock against a Fiji side playing largely with 14 and working under an interim head coach. The big questions around Borthwick and this England – what is their ceiling? – still need to be answered.
This win however can undoubtedly lift morale, and hopefully gave those supporters Borthwick had in mind watching England in-person for the first time a day to remember.
Photograph by Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images