The Calcutta Cup: Is this defeat the catalyst for England’s resurgence or a premonition of what’s to come?

Hopes were high. An unexpected (for most) new era of England rugby would begin at this game, where Steve Borthwick had the boots of Eddie Jones to fill and the faith of the nation resting on his broad Cumbrian shoulders.

We needed a win after the previous season – dark clouds were over our mountains green after five out of nine games in 2022 being losses. England fans had hope for this season under Jones as the losses were a small dip in preparation for the World Cup – because that’s what really matters. Throwing a spanner in the works following the interesting draw against the All Blacks, who most will agree had far more mana (Māori for spiritual power) than we did on the day, the RFU kicked Jones into touch nine months out before the rebirth of the World Cup.

Despite generating England’s highest ever win ratio, enjoying the longest run of back-to-back victories, two winning tours Down Under and a World Cup final, Jones’ contract was terminated by an RFU committee accused by many of being short-sighted, gutless and panicked. However, without a non-compete clause in his contract, he was snapped up by his beloved home nation of Australia and, if results go their way, he may lead them to face England in the World Cup semi-finals in France.

Meanwhile, mystery surrounded the trainings of the New England under Borthwick, other than the Americanised interviews introducing even more fresh faces to the team. The times of Jones were frantically covered by the RFU, but the breakup proved to be deeper than expected.

Having Owen Farrell at the helm was reassuring as there was some continuity from the glorious times of reaching the WC finals in 2019. The selection of eligible players to choose from in the premiership is abundant and the new wave of young players like Freddie Steward individually provide the ‘X factor’. But as a team, the New England hadn’t proven to be as successful as the days of 2003. Jones’ attempts to mould Faz and Smith together at 10/12 weren’t pleasing the fans, and this carried through under Borthwick on Saturday.

The Game

Arguably, we were already at a loss with the extent of injuries. Henry Slade and European player of the year potential Elliot Daly out with injuries. Daly is a chameleon – wing, fullback, outside centre – he is sure to shine. And most noticeably, Borthwick’s decision to axe Manu Tuilagi. The Samoan tank was sorely missed before the game even began, with many fans displaying their outrage on twitter. His susceptibility to injury is England’s Achilles heel, but when he is on form, he makes an impact. Tuilagi’s Pacific power is something that every European nation seeks to create a potent midfield, but Borthwick thinks he can do without this.

Scotland came out all guns blazing. Their centre piece was seamless, whereas England’s greatest fault from the game was that there was little flow, with the players looking as though they were playing club rugby. Marcus Smith played like he does for Harlequins, energetic based on intuition. This contrasted heavily with Farrell’s experienced, tactical control of the game – Farrell plays the long game like no one else, although it seemed like he didn’t have the opportunity to do this in the game.

To keep people supporting this national team, the players need to reflect national pride in the score tally

England’s mid-centre pieces weren’t on an international level and didn’t compare to the fire blazing duo of Sione Tuipulotu and Finn Russell. The attacking game was almost unrecognisable from the 2019 World Cup – it was overcomplicated but with some rare and incredible displays of individual flare. England’s frazzled defence was slightly unmatched to the attack of the Scottish, who didn’t even have to try hard to break the line. The foundations of tackling went out the window in a cringe-worthy manner brought about by Duhan van der Merwe. The simplicity of basic tactics and set plays went as well, proven by England’s bizarre decision to tap instead of kicking to the corner for a maul – mauls were what England were are good at with Itoje being the star he is. So why not stick to the game England know?

The individuality of the players is what set England back. Farrell’s leadership was undermined by his frustration at his kicking and the stress of a new coach was bound to cause ripples. Scotland took advantage of that by plying with gut and as a team. They knew they were the underdogs and used that to lull the English into a false sense of security by playing a simple, class game. This was a new Scotland: their effortless set plays at the 22 from a scrum, use of the wing and keeping the ball alive. And of course, I must mention the Duhan van der Merwe try. Some from RugbyPass have compared it to the late legend of Jonah Lomu which I have to disagree with entirely. Duhan has skill yes, but not Lomu-level. Duhan saw a tired England and ripped through them. Six England international players flung off the powerful South African winger like it was nothing. It was almost comedic. Had we just witnessed the fall of England rugby – do those five seconds defy the future of the team? Well, let’s hope not.

Is Borthwick the one?

What does he bring to the table that Jones couldn’t? Right now, it’s too early to tell. Could it be the players’ fault as they have produced the same result under two different coaches? I think the loss of Jones has been a big hit – like Manu vs Ashton in that Tigers/Saints game. The first swing: Jones thrown out by the classless RFU. The second hit: this appalling loss at the beloved Twickenham grounds, against our rightfully boastful neighbours (although the number of South African players on the Scottish team negates neighbours).

What will the knockout blow be? A loss against Italy? The Ragazzi clearly proved this possible as they piled on the pressure against World Cup winner hopefuls France. Or possibly the recent booting of Ben Youngs, an England legend, from the squad ahead of the game against the Italian brotherhood – this really is a new dawn…

Despite Borthwick’s attempts to win over the fans through videos appealing for support and praise post-match, it means nothing if there is not a win. To keep people supporting this national team, the players need to reflect national pride in the score tally. Supporting England now is almost like supporting a Premiership club: it’s losing its deep connection that other national teams can harness, such as Italy despite the repeated losses.

I am sure Jones’ laugh is echoing throughout the golden halls of Australian rugby while Borthwick is figuring out what on earth he needs to do to prove his worth, and how he is going to put some motivation back into an underperforming team.