Eddie Jones attributes England’s significant downturn in the Guinness Six Nations to Steve Borthwick’s excessive optimism regarding a title showdown with France prior to the tournament’s commencement.
Consecutive heavy losses to Scotland and Ireland have reversed the advancements achieved during a 12-Test winning streak, transforming the round-four match against Italy in Rome on March 7 into a crucial encounter they must not lose.
This situation contrasts sharply with what Borthwick had anticipated when he announced his Six Nations squad last month.
“On March 14 in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve,” the head coach stated on Jan 23.
“We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to watch the team in a massive encounter in the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want.”
Jones, who served as England’s head coach from 2016 to 2022, questions whether the Rugby Football Union may have influenced these comments.
“I’ll return to the beginning of the Six Nations. I thought Steve made some very uncharacteristic remarks about a title-decider against France, looking ahead,” Jones shared on the Rugby Unity podcast.
“Steve is the most pragmatic and intelligent coach you could meet, but looking ahead for any team is risky. We all understand that.
“However, sometimes the pressure arises so that the union, the RFU, desires to hear more. They want to attract fans because they are all eager for revenue, so they seek fan support. So be bold, come out — someone has advised him to do that.
“The players read everything, the wives read everything, the girlfriends read everything, the boyfriends read everything, they all read it.
“They hear that and discuss it, saying, ‘We’ve got to secure our tickets for France. Where will we stay? Where will we dine the night before?’
“All of that occurs, and the slight psychological shift within the team due to this leads them to start looking ahead.”
Jones asserts that the 31-20 defeat at Murrayfield, where England fell to an early 17-0 deficit, left a psychological impact that carried over into the five-try loss against Ireland.
“They were caught off guard against Scotland. The Scotland game against Wales illustrates that they were just caught off guard,” Jones remarked.
“That was an isolated incident, but now that isolated incident has infiltrated their mindset. They are disheartened about their current position and are all feeling somewhat threatened now.
“How do you turn it around? It requires leadership both on and off the field.”
