If you’d asked any England fan at the start of this Six Nations whether they’d have taken four wins from five matches, they’d have bitten your hand off.
So, this has been a successful campaign for Steve Borthwick and his players. Yes, any England team should always be aiming to win the Championship title.
But we also have to be realistic. Considering where this England side started the tournament, it was always going to be very difficult to get the better of Ireland and France. England have, however, shown signs of progression in this campaign.
And that upward curve continued on Saturday with an impressive and ruthless victory over Wales in Cardiff. Make no mistake, winning at the Principality Stadium and in the convincing fashion they did is a huge moment on England’s journey. It was an excellent team performance.
A big well done to Borthwick from me.
He has had his critics, but his selection for Wales was bold and he reaped the rewards. Picking the team he did for Cardiff showed that he is well up to the task of taking English rugby back to the top. The Eddie Jones era is now well and truly history.
England ended their Six Nations campaign on a high by beating Wales 68-14 on Saturday
Head coach Steve Borthwick (right) deserves a lot of credit for his side’s display in Cardiff
But it was not enough to win the Six Nations title, which went to France after they beat Scotland
A penny too for the thoughts of the coaches who have left Borthwick’s set-up, like Felix Jones and Aled Walters. I wonder if they will live to regret that decision because for me, England are a team going places and with a lot of improvement still to come.
Some might scoff at the result given the shambolic state of Wales. They have now lost 17 Tests in a row. However, the Cardiff factor must not be downplayed.
It is a cauldron of an atmosphere, a powder keg ready to go off at any point. For England players, it’s a nightmare venue. The Welsh are baying for your blood.
So, for England to win there and in the manner they did will give them significant confidence. Winning away takes not only talent, but guts too.
I must say, however, that England were playing against a really poor side. Wales were nowhere near it. They were perhaps unlucky to have a try ruled out through their main hope Blair Murray, but really they were miles off the pace. Maro Itoje went over straightaway and Fin Smith’s pass for Tom Roebuck’s try showed exactly what he can do.
England’s pack had complete control. Wales were powderpuff by comparison. There will be far sterner challenges than this for England, however.
What has Borthwick learned in this Six Nations? It has been reinforced to me that George Furbank is first-choice full-back by a country mile. Marcus Smith is capable of filling that void in the absence of Furbank, as he did in this Championship. But if everyone is fully fit, it has to be Furbank that starts at No 15.
Fin Smith has also had a breakthrough campaign.
Another Tommy Freeman try means he scored in all five of his Six Nations outings this year
Fin Smith pictured converting one of England’s 10 tries at the Principality Stadium on Saturday
Henry Pollock is a bright young player and I’m looking forward to seeing more from him
Wales are a really poor side – they’ve now suffered 17 Test defeats on the bounce, which is a record for a tier-one nation in the professional era
France blew victory against England, but Fin Smith was excellent in that game. There haven’t been outrageous moments of individual brilliance.
But that’s not what he does. What Fin Smith does is mould a backline around him and bring the best out of guys like Tommy Freeman. I’ve been equally impressed by Fin Smith’s demeanour.
Some people are just built for Test rugby and with his unflappable, positive attitude, the former Worcester man is undoubtedly one of those. Fin Smith showed that in Cardiff, orchestrating a back division that played with pace, pace and more pace.
I was pleased to see Freeman given a chance to start at outside centre — which I think will be his best position long-term. And he was excellent, as I expected.
It’s remarkable that Freeman has scored in every round of this Six Nations. That feat cannot be downplayed. Freeman looked very, very comfortable in midfield. It was such a shame for me that he limped off even before the hour mark because the longer he plays in that position, the better for him and England. Outside centre must be Freeman’s permanent position for England.
Borthwick also gave Henry Pollock plenty of second-half game time. He’s a bright player for England’s future and I’m looking forward to him getting more time in the summer tour matches with Argentina and the USA.
It was a great moment to see the sheer joy on Pollock’s face when he entered the field for his first cap and it then got even better with him scoring two tries! I loved to see his parents celebrating and the way Pollock was greeted and congratulated by his team-mates was just brilliant. That showed me England have a happy camp.
England’s best players will be with the Lions this summer.
But that trip is going to be key for England because they must continue the development they have shown in this campaign. So, all in all, a very good campaign from England.
It can, however, get even better in the months and years to come.
