Borthwick needs a clear direction

NICK CAIN

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The fog around England’s take-off as an attacking force in the latter stages of the Six Nations has obscured who it was that flicked the switch.

Most plaudits for persuading head coach Steve Borthwick to turn on the lights against Ireland and France have gone to England captain Jamie George, although he has not yet taken credit. It meant that instead of the box-kick chain of Borthwick’s first year in charge, what England fans got was some out-of-the-box thinking – with England finally prepared to have a go ball-in-hand.

However, George’s projection of “a team definitely on an upward curve” will be seriously challenged in New Zealand next month, in a two-Test series which marks Scott Robertson’s baptism as All Black head coach.

A first series for a new coach is usually fraught with potential pitfalls, and another plus is that Borthwick’s side will have far better preparation than usual. There is the bonus of not only a stopover Test against Japan in Tokyo, but also a two-week training interval to hone their plans before the Dunedin Test.

This puts the focus on Borthwick’s selection, and his ability to establish three-deep competition in every position, as well as sharp tactical direction. It also involves him evading a trio of selection thorns.

The first is including Tom Curry in squad training, despite Sale, and their medical consultants, advising against him going straight back in at Test level after complex hip surgery. It is perplexing, because England have plenty of back row talent that needs forging in Test fires, including opensides like Tom Pearson, and Curry’s brother, Ben. So, it makes little sense to waste that opportunity, and to potentially jeopardise Tom Curry’s recovery.

The second thorny issue is Borthwick’s continuing rejection of Zach Mercer. While Exeter’s Greg Fisilau is a promising No.8 he is only 20, whereas Mercer, 26, has been a Top 14 Player of the Season, and has been consistently good in a poor Gloucester side.

Mercer’s footwork is even more effective when he is behind a good pack, and for Borthwick to shelve those credentials by failing to even let him train alongside rivals like Earl and Alex Dombrandt is strange.

The last snag is Borthwick not invoking the RFU’s “exceptional circumstances” clause to restore Jack Willis. Why has he not insisted that the Toulouse flanker be selected for England’s benefit, based on his exceptional qualities for Toulouse this season, culminating in a European Cup final command performance?

The good news is that, despite this self-harm, England are still left with 13 of the starting 15 that beat Ireland. Also, with Joe Marler now available to tour, the likely Test front row is a stronger scrummaging unit, and, with the Quins veteran joining George and centurion Dan Cole, hugely experienced with almost 300 caps between them.

The rest of the structure is in place in the pack, with Maro Itoje and George Martin in the engine room. In the back row, Sam Underhill stays at openside, and there is a straightforward back row reshuffle with Chandler Cunningham-South coming in at blindside due to Ollie Chessum’s injury.

The big Quins No.6 has the added advantage of having played No.8 for England U20s, and is therefore able to switch with Earl, giving them a hard yards carrier off scrums as an alternative to Earl’s acceleration.

There is also dynamism from hookers Theo Dan and Curtis Langdon, and, at loosehead, alongside the solidity of Beno Obano, there are hungry fighters like Bevan Rodd, Fin Baxter, and Northampton’s Emmanuel Iyogun. Add to that Bath’s pacy blindside Ted Hill, and there is blast off the bench.

However, tighthead remains a worry because Will Stuart, who sits behind Cole, has yet to establish his Test credentials. The same applies to Joe Heyes, who has not made enough impact at Leicester this season.

It is why, with Will Collier unavailable to tour NZ, it should be a no-brainer to take Trevor Davison, the Northampton tight-head, who has the rare ability to also play loosehead.

The backline that came alive against Ireland and France is still intact, with Alex Mitchell and George Ford ready to light the fuse that sees George Furbank, Tommy Freeman, Emmanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, and Ollie Lawrence make fire-cracker raids.

That leaves Marcus and Fin Smith, Jack van Poortvliet and Raffi Quirke, Freddie Steward, as well as newcomers like Luke Northmore and Tom Roebuck pressing for places. It is the same story up front where promising locks like Alex Coles and the heavyweight Rusi Tuima are also mounting a challenge.

When the competition for almost every England shirt becomes fierce, there are reasons for cautious optimism that New Zealand will not be able to run riot next month. The real question, though, is whether England can start a riot of their own.