I don’t like saying this after an England defeat, predominantly because the country’s national side should always be looking to win regardless of the opposition.
But I thought the display from Steve Borthwick‘s team against Ireland was a step in the right direction, especially when compared to the autumn.
England lost a lot of tight games in 2024. And while their first match of 2025 ended similarly, I do think Borthwick as head coach and the players can take a lot of positives from it.
The first half was magnificent. England led 10-5 at the break and I think they deserved that advantage. They were physical and their defence was much improved.
Overall, England looked far more organised and that was especially the case without the ball. This game showed it was the right call to ditch the blitz defence.
The question Borthwick should be asking with his players this week is what the hell happened after half time? This is a difficult one to answer but, for me, the issue at the heart of it was the penalty count. England conceded only 11 penalties which isn’t bad.
England showed great improvement from some of their performances in the autumn but were undone by Ireland in Dublin
The hosts hit back with a devastating second-half display to get their campaign off to the perfect start (Pictured: Dan Sheehan celebrates scoring their side’s fourth try of the game)
International teams aim for 10 or under over the course of the 80 minutes, so 11 isn’t shocking.
But the rate of those penalties increased in the second half and that gave Ireland momentum and territory. They are an incredibly difficult side to stop once they have that.
Last autumn, it was quite clear that England’s players weren’t convinced by the idea of the blitz. There was no clear defensive alignment. Some players would rush up to put pressure on the opposition attackers, while some would hang back. There were dog legs everywhere. England got picked off regularly as a result.
I know Ireland scored four tries to go home with a bonus-point win, but sometimes you have to accept a side as good as them will cross the whitewash however good your defence is. England made a positive stride forward there.
I’ve been critical of the centre partnership of Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence. I don’t think their midfield combination has been working, but both had good games in Dublin.
Lawrence especially had a real go. He showed his power and was monstrously physical, while alongside him Slade had some nice touches. That was summed up by his kick through for Cadan Murley to score on debut.
I’m sure some people reading this will say the late scores from Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman put a gloss on the score from an English perspective and that they were actually comfortably beaten.
There is merit to that argument, but for me the positivity remains. I particularly liked some minor shifts that pointed to a far greater attacking mentality. A good example of that was England’s short restarts.
Both Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence (pictured) had good games against the reigning champions
Marcus Smith’s kick-off was instantly regained by Freddie Steward. This might seem a small thing, but it is part of something far bigger.
Most teams kick long from kick-offs or restarts, but going short shows you are trying to be brave. It shows a positive mindset. That’s what I’ve been crying out for from England for a long time now, hence my glass-half-full view.
Both the Curry twins — Tom and Ben — had great games in the back-row and I think they have deserved to keep their place for the game with France. I still think Freeman is wasted on the wing. Until his consolation try with the game’s final play, we had seen next to nothing from him in attack.
It’s such a shame because he has so much to offer, as we see when he plays for Northampton in the Gallagher Premiership. He has to be considered for a move into the centre.
The first game of the Six Nations is everything, so for England to lose is undoubtedly disappointing. There will be no English Grand Slam now, of course. It will be awful for the players to lose another tight game like that, especially because this is becoming a recurring theme.
However, again I’d like to point out a difference. Last autumn, England lost matches with little between the teams on the scoreboard but where, in my opinion, they were actually well beaten and didn’t show much sign of progress.
This was different. When you’re working in international rugby and you suffer a defeat — especially one that will sting like this — the best thing that can happen is to have another game next week.
That’s what England have because France are coming to Twickenham on Saturday. It is a huge opportunity and one the English rugby public needs to get fully behind.
The Curry twins — Tom and Ben (L-R) — had great games in the back-row and deserve to keep their place in the side
Antoine Dupont and Co are England’s next opponents, fresh from their thrashing of Wales on Friday
It’s going to be an incredible occasion. France barely had to break sweat to put 40 points on Wales, which is a huge concern if you’re Welsh.
It was such a shame to see a really one-sided contest in Paris on the opening night, but I thought on the whole the first weekend was very good.
The matches in Edinburgh and Dublin were proper Test battles and the latter saw England lose narrowly yet again.
But on the evidence of what I saw at the Aviva Stadium, I think we can say there are positive signs the team can break their losing streak.
