sports
February 14, 2026
Borthwick has a big week ahead after England’s grand plans shredded in Scotland
Head coach must make changes for Ireland’s visit after his error-strewn side lacked the nous to fight back after the hosts’ fast start
TL;DR
- England's performance against Scotland was error-strewn and lacked the ability to recover from a fast start.
- Key mistakes included two yellow cards for Henry Arundell, a charged-down drop-goal attempt by George Ford, and Ellis Genge's handling errors.
- Systemic problems included ill-discipline, ineffective kicking, absence of a second playmaker, poor tackling (20 missed in the first half), and questionable decision-making.
- Despite scrum dominance, England chose to kick for goal instead of opting for another scrum near the Scotland posts when a yellow card was possible.
- Coach Borthwick is urged to restore Ollie Lawrence to the starting lineup and reconsider the experiment of playing Tommy Freeman at centre.
- Selection choices, such as playing Fraser Dingwall and Freddie Steward, are criticized for a lack of creativity compared to Scotland's British & Irish Lions partnership.
- Marcus Smith and Henry Pollock are suggested to be recalled or given starts for the next match.
- Beyond selection, player performance was poor, with Ben Earl being a notable exception, while Maro Itoje was off the pace.
- The team displayed a failure to stem the Scottish tide, regroup, or recover from setbacks, compounded by abysmal ball-handling.
- Borthwick needs to learn from past mistakes, like Eddie Jones's focus on World Cup preparations during Six Nations, and address the team's 'here before' feeling.
- A training camp after a previous defeat in Scotland was a catalyst for improvement; soul-searching is needed before Ireland's visit.
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