Six Nations: England are in free fall and now Borthwick’s really feeling the heat

Two years ago almost to the day, when Italy beat Scotland to end a drought lasting almost 11 years for a Six Nations win on home soil, there was an understandable out­pouring of emotion around the Stadio Olimpico. It was a lifting of a collective weight off Italian shoulders, and silenced that persistent suggestion that ­perhaps Italy’s place in the Six Nations should be re-evaluated, with Georgia pressing hard for inclusion.

Barring a freak thrashing by France last year, they have always been a test to face in Rome. Ask Wales, who in 2025 lost in what turned out to be the final game of Warren Gatland’s ill-fated second tenure. Ireland were also made to sweat here that same ­season. Scotland kicked off this year’s Six Nations by losing here, a defeat which given their performances since then is utterly bewildering.

And now England, the only team in the Six Nations that Italy had never beaten, have finally been slain.

It was the opposite of a shock. You could feel it coming, not only because of England’s flaws, but because Italy do not fear anyone any more. Steve Borthwick did his best before the game to tell us how the Azzurri would go after England, praising their kicking game, the breakdown work of Manuel Zuliani, their midfield strength. But for much of this game Italy played without that ­control, struggling for territory, on the back foot trying to contain England’s scrum.

They trailed 18-10 at one stage but, bar the odd worrying moment fielding some of England’s many, many kicks, never really panicked. They stuck to the process. They risked a cross-field kick with the game on the line to Monty Ioane, leading to the linebreak for Leonardo Marin’s match-winner.

The return of Juan Ignacio Brex, their backline linchpin, felt ­massive but really they won without him needing to be at his best. There was so much to like here; admirable graft from their pack, embodied by their captain Michele Lamaro’s turn­over to clinch it at the death. They showed time and again a willingness to move the ball wide, something England certainly seem to lack. The pre-match hope had been, not to heap too much pressure on him, that maybe inside centre Seb Atkinson could turn out to be the answer to a problem position that has vexed English rugby for far too long now.

Admittedly, opinions about who should be England’s inside centre are subject to (rapid) change. A month ago we were crowing about the ­developing chemistry between George Ford at fly-half and Fraser Dingwall at 12. Both players were dropped for Rome, part of Steve Borthwick’s sweeping cull.

Let’s take a moment to remember the other inside centre contenders of present and past. Max Ojomoh, player of the match in England’s win over Argentina in the autumn, hasn’t even been in the squad for weeks. Ollie Lawrence is better at 13, whereas Henry Slade does bits of each centre role really well but is not a complete 12. Dan Kelly now plays for Ireland. Piers Francis? Ben Te’o? Long gone. You get the idea. The only time in the past 15 years that England really felt settled on a 12 was the magnificent, yet highly injury-prone, Manu Tuilagi.

Humbling defeats by Scotland and Ireland have held up a mirror to England’s deficiencies and boy, it turns out there are many of them. Finding an answer at inside ­centre? That’s an almost refreshingly ­familiar problem.

Dingwall and England had a front-row seat a couple of weeks back against Ireland to see how effective an attack can be when you have a centre prepared to bash through any and all contact in Stuart McCloskey. The ­previous week up at Murrayfield, Sione Tuipulotu – the Scotland captain who, when at his best, carries the ball as if he has been fired out of a cannon – was similarly direct and impactful, bending England’s defence out of shape. Perhaps that was enough for Borthwick to think “Yes, we could use some of that”.

Enter Atkinson. He played with Fin Smith at Worcester once, it was mentioned a few times this week. A drop by Smith from an Atkinson pass, practically unopposed, was head-in-hands stuff.

Still, amid the turmoil, England have a heck of a scrum, and penalties there can give you the territory you need to threaten. Atkinson had a smart tip-on pass in the build-up to Tommy Freeman’s opening try, the first time England had led in a match since facing Wales. It didn’t last.

Atkinson can thump people, has the frame to, but he is not merely a pure battering ram. There is more to him than that – a fine passing game, exceptional fitness. The bronco, a horrendous fitness test in pre-season, is a drill that Atkinson has famously aced time and again, allowing him to cover more ground in defence when England get bent out of shape. These are all very nice qualities. Expecting him to deliver on all fronts, in a side who currently are in free fall a few weeks on from seeming like genuine title contenders, was probably too much to ask. Gradually, Atkinson faded, but in the England blame game he would be a long way down the list.

What a perplexing championship this is turning out to be. Do you honestly re-evaluate Borthwick’s ­position? It feels as though we are at a stage where we should ask the question, even if a viable replacement is not immediately obvious. Had they gone down swinging with a ­complete display, showing more with ball in hand, this historic defeat might be more easily forgiven.

Winning 12 Tests in a row, it turns out, does not mean a lot when you produce three alarming performances in a row like this. Ben Earl, as previously mentioned, suggested this run of fixtures after Wales would be a serious challenge. England are not coming out of it in great shape.

Photography by Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty