LONDON – Steve Borthwick said England had taken some “positive small steps” by beating Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday before expressing concerns over how the Azzurri were able to mount a second-half recovery.
The 31-14 success at Twickenham gave Borthwick a first win as England coach after his reign started with a 29-23 loss at home to Scotland last weekend.
His side led 19-0 at half-time following tries by forwards Jack Willis, Ollie Chessum and Jamie George, with Italy unable to handle England’s driving maul from close-range line-outs.
But the visitors fought back after the break and it was not until England replacement back Henry Arundell went over for a try 10 minutes from time that victory was assured.
England, however, had avoided a repeat of the Scotland game, where they squandered an eight-point lead in the second half.
“There were some positive small steps forward. We’re trying to rebuild this team and we’ve taken some steps forward,” Borthwick told reporters.
“There’s plenty to improve on. We left plenty of chances out there. Our ruck speed could have been quicker. When our ruck speed went up, we stressed the defence more. When it slowed down, we didn’t.”
The former England captain added: “We conceded some opportunities late in the game and we’ll have a good look why because that’s happened for two weeks running now.
“We were in a winning position late in the game against Scotland but let it slip. We’ll have a good look at that to make sure we’re better.”
This match was in marked contrast to Saturday’s showstoppers, with Ireland defeating reigning champions France 32-19 in a classic encounter and Scotland running riot against Wales in their 35-7 victory.
But Borthwick, having only just taken over from coaching mentor Eddie Jones following England’s woeful 2022, said his squad were in a different position just months from the World Cup in France.
“The games on Saturday were high quality and those teams are in the final year of their four-year plans,” he said.
“They know their selection, they have caps under their belts, they’re arriving at the World Cup with the right number of caps.
“We’re not in that situation,” added Borthwick, whose side will next play a Wales team smarting from two defeats under returning coach Warren Gatland when the tournament resumes on Feb 25.
Italy arrived at Twickenham with genuine hope of a first win over England after a highly creditable 29-24 loss to France in Rome on Feb 5.
But they never came to terms with a powerful England pack.
“England put us under pressure and got their driving maul going,” said Italy coach Kieran Crowley. “They played as expected but we just did not handle it as well as we hoped to.” AFP
