Six Nations: Steve Borthwick vows to fix England’s lack of intensity

England head coach Steve Borthwick has pledged to raise training standards after admitting his side lacked their trademark physical intensity during the record defeat by Ireland.

Addressing the slump

The Red Rose’s hopes of a first Six Nations title since 2020 were extinguished following consecutive losses to Scotland and the heavy 42-21 reverse at Twickenham.

Despite the alarming slide, the head coach remained defiant at the team’s Bagshot base while addressing the root causes of the downturn.

Borthwick identified three critical failings that were exposed in London: wasted chances in the opposition 22, cheap turnovers, and a significant drop in aggression.

‘A trademark of the team’

The 44-year-old was candid in his assessment that England failed to meet the physical benchmarks they had previously set during a 12-match winning streak.

“The intensity that has become a trademark of the team – it wasn’t at the level we have set for ourselves,” Borthwick admitted.

He believes the failure to convert early pressure created a “snowball effect” which allowed the reigning champions to dominate proceedings.

“We had plenty of chances to score in the first 20 minutes,” the former Leicester Tigers boss added.

“If you don’t take your chances in Test match rugby it can be very cruel.”

Targeting a response in Rome

With remaining fixtures against Italy and France, the focus has shifted to sharpening the attack and eliminating the uncharacteristic errors plaguing the squad.

The aerial game has faltered, while decision-making under pressure has regressed significantly compared to earlier performances.

Borthwick insists the solution lies in pushing the players harder during preparation for the upcoming showdown in Rome.

“We have discussed all aspects of the preparation with the players,” he said.

“We need to drive even further what we are doing in training, and how hard we train.”