Steve Borthwick has challenged England to shed their reputation as serial Six Nations underachievers after the head coach received a fitness boost during the final round of Champions Cup matches.
Several players suffered bumps and bruises last weekend as six English teams secured knockout qualification, but Borthwick believes he will have a full complement of players to choose from for England's opening match against Italy in Rome on February 3.
England have won just 50 percent of their matches in the past six Six Nations campaigns and just two games in each of the past three tournaments. Borthwick admits outright that they have not performed to the expectations of their supporters and have been let down by France and Ireland.
"We want to make sure this England team is in every game, which is something you can't say about the team in recent years," Borthwick said. "The expectations of the fans are a lot higher than what the team has achieved, and rightly so.
"The team is very aware that we have not featured in the Six Nations for some time. Ireland and France have been the dominant teams and everyone is trying to compete with these two teams.
"What has happened in the past is that there was a lot of talk about England before the tournament, but England didn't achieve anything at the time. When we come into the tournament we are often talked about as favorites and England's performances have not been anywhere near that level. The team knows that, the team wants to perform better and the supporters deserve better."
But after outperforming the other Six Nations teams to finish third at the last World Cup, Borthwick wants England to start this campaign with a statement of intent against Italy.
"Our intention is to hit the ground running in Rome in the way we want, with the intensity we want, something England have not done in recent years," Borthwick said. "We want this to be a different mentality for England, a different way of approaching the game and the tournament. And we are going to approach our camp in Girona differently.
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"We are opting for a different approach because we need different results than previous tournaments. I want the players to desperately get on the grass and throw themselves into this. How hard they run and tackle in that first game will be very important.
Despite several England players being unavailable or scared this weekend, Borthwick believes his side have not suffered any new injuries. Flanker Sam Underhill missed Bath's match against Toulouse with an ankle injury and will undergo a modified training program at their warm-weather camp in Girona this week, while fellow backrower Ben Curry should start training despite Sale's defeat to La Rochelle. with a rolled ankle.
Leicester second-row Ollie Chessum failed a head injury assessment (HIA) but passed a second concussion test after the home defeat to Leinster, while Borthwick waited for further information on Harlequins center Oscar Beard, who also failed his HIA against Ulster.
Borthwick was still collecting all the fitness reports on Monday morning ahead of the Six Nations media launch and is frustrated by the flow of information from Premier League clubs.
"One of the challenges for the last Six Nations was that the reporting systems between club and country are not what they should be and are not what they will be next year, but nothing has changed from last year and this year. Borthwick said. "If we have improved earnings per share next year, we will be in a better situation. At this moment we have to deal with information that we were not yet aware of as quickly as possible. That is disappointing, but we will have to continue to do the best we can."
George: Farrell 'one of the first people I told' about captaincy
New England captain Jamie George has revealed that his predecessor Owen Farrell was one of the first people he spoke to about taking over the role.
George added that the pair have been "very, very close" since their time together with Saracens and England and revealed that Farrell had told him he would always be there to give advice.
"[Farrell] told me if I needed anything he was the first person to call and he would always be there to have a conversation," George explained. "That is invaluable to me. We have worked together for a long time and I have been his vice-captain at Saracens for a long time."
Farrell withdrew from England after the Rugby World Cup to prioritize his and his family's mental wellbeing, and his future in England remains uncertain as he is linked with a move to Racing 92.
Wondering if he had similar concerns about the pressure that comes with the role, George hoped lessons had been learned from the criticism leveled at Farrell in recent years.
"I am hopeful that we have learned many lessons from the Owen situation and that many people have a better understanding of the reality of life, the reality of professional rugby players, that we are all human. So I am hopeful that I can work in a much more positive environment."
George added that he had weighed the implications of taking on the role after Farrell's experience, but the enormity of leading his country against Italy and beyond was too strong. After Borthwick was first offered the role, the English hooker took the weekend to consult with family members, but compared the moment Borthwick asked him to a marriage proposal.
"At the time I wanted to take his hand off and say yes, but it was good to be able to talk to my family this weekend and get their thoughts on it. I called him right away on Monday to accept," George explained.
"This is the greatest achievement of my life. Stepping onto the pitch in Rome will be one of the best moments I will ever experience.
"And I felt like it was a decision that I would have absolutely regretted had I turned it down for other reasons. I feel like I'm at a good stage in my career to step up and take this on."
One positive development has already been the impact of new defense coach Felix Jones, with Jones joining the England staff after winning two Rugby World Cups with South Africa.
"I've had one encounter and I'm sure the English defense will certainly take a lot of time and space away from an opposition. How aggressive we plan to be is extremely exciting. "When you add that to the caliber of players we have at our disposal, it's going to be a great Six Nations."
