Borthwick revamps England backline for crucial Six Nations clash with Italy
Steve Borthwick has abandoned his philosophy of continuity by selecting a new-look England backline to face Italy in the Six Nations in a bid to arrest a brewing crisis.
While rivals France launch glossy retro kits for the tournament’s climax, England have turned to the training ground bibs for inspiration.
The Red Rose’s back division for this weekend has virtually no shared match experience.
Look for established partnerships within the selection and you will find only the thinnest threads of understanding.
Training form over Test cohesion
Fly-half Fin Smith and inside centre Seb Atkinson last played together regularly in the Worcester youth system five years ago.
Northampton’s Tommy Freeman joins Smith in the set-up, though he usually operates on the wing rather than his deployed role at outside centre.
Sale Sharks wing Tom Roebuck offers some familiarity, having toured Argentina with Atkinson, but connections remain scarce.
Seven players from six different clubs represents a significant gamble on unknown quantities.
The head coach has previously prioritized the "white heat" of Test match cohesion but is now citing different evidence for his selection.
"Much of this backline has trained for four or five weeks together and trained very, very well," said Borthwick.
"I say again how much I value what I see in training. I say it to the players, that I’m watching every bit of training and I value performance in training."
"This is a very strong message about the ethos within the England team, that you will be rewarded for performing in that sense."
Stopping the slide
This strategic pivot follows a dramatic downturn in form during the current campaign.
Comprehensive defeats by Scotland and Ireland saw England lose by 11 and 21 points respectively.
Those losses were defined by a lack of power, low energy, and a high error count that undermined the gameplan.
Two defeats have shaken belief in the long-term project, despite the 12 wins that preceded this slump.
Captain Maro Itoje addressed the squad following the Ireland defeat, insisting progress is rarely a straight line.
"Success isn’t always linear… success doesn’t always go like that," Itoje told his team-mates.
"Sometimes it goes like that. Through hard work, though consistency, we’ll get it back on track. Keep faith in what we’re doing, keep faith in each other."
