Borthwick admits England have failed to adjust to Test rugby in eight months

Steve Borthwick has conceded that England have failed to adapt to the standards of Test rugby over the past six to eight months, with the head coach identifying the breakdown and defensive discipline as the two areas most urgently requiring improvement ahead of Sunday’s Nations Championship fixture against Australia at Allianz Stadium.

“It’s pretty obvious that over the last six to eight months, we haven’t adjusted and dealt with moments in the way we want to,” Borthwick said, speaking ahead of Monday’s squad announcement for the autumn series that also includes fixtures against Japan and New Zealand.

Borthwick pointed to the recent European club round as a stark illustration of the problem. English Premiership sides won only one of their eight matches across that weekend, conceding more ball and recovering less at the breakdown than clubs from any other nation. The head coach attributed part of the difficulty to the domestic game’s attacking emphasis and its reliance on English referees, whose interpretations differ from those applied at international level.

“The contact area in the Prem is different to Test rugby,” he said. “The other area is the emphasis and importance placed upon defence. We need to ensure that we make it very, very difficult for the opposition to score.”

England have accumulated 15 yellow cards in eight Tests in 2024, including four during July’s defeat to Argentina. Borthwick’s proposed remedy is to spend less time defending in their own 22, arguing that the current officiating climate makes sustained defensive phases a near-certain source of penalties and cards.

“Frankly, we spend too much time defending,” he said. “There has been an exponential increase in cards given — and not just by us. The vast majority of them are given when defending in your own 22.”

To accelerate the squad’s adjustment, top referee Christophe Ridley attended England’s training camp last week, leading sessions and presenting to the squad on the interpretations they will face at international level.

England’s preparations have been further complicated by an injury crisis at half-back. Alex Mitchell has joined Fin Smith and Archie McParland in the treatment room after sustaining a hamstring injury during Northampton’s 28-14 Premiership victory over Gloucester on Saturday, leaving Borthwick short of options at scrum-half ahead of the squad announcement.