Lawrence Dallaglio column: Criticism of this England team has been fair and the players know it
Steve Borthwick thinks England had been written off ahead of the Rugby World Cup, but any and all criticism that has come their way has been justified.
You cannot live in cloud-cuckoo-land as England head coach.
The last two games against Ireland, they have been well beaten; the last time they played France, they were hammered by 40 points; they lost three of their four warm-up games, including a first-ever defeat by Fiji.
I think Borthwick has taken criticism of England too much to heart, to be honest. If England really think any of the criticism they have received is wildly out of line, I would love to know what they really think of their own performances, behind the scenes.
Outside expectation can only be based on what has been delivered in the build-up. Losing three of four warm-up games and having multiple players banned is what a lot of people would have based their views on.
They came into the tournament under a lot of pressure, out of form and not as well prepared as they could be.
They’ve taken small steps, but the fire and motivation has to come from within the group. The honest player does not need to pick up the papers to know whether he has played badly or not.
England’s players need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they are happy with their performance levels. And the answer is probably not — so do something about it, put it right.
The beauty is they have another game to do that. I fully expect this England team to show us what they are about.
I would feel the pressure from within for this game. I wouldn’t need to be told that we need a statement performance.
A lot of players would be in their last Test match, were England to lose this game. You would not want your England career to end on a whimper.
If I had been in that team, everything I had read and heard, I would have been in total agreement with.
They need to produce a performance that proves they are capable of taking on the right-hand side of the draw. The quality and intensity on the other side is completely different.
And anyone who is saying anything else is kidding themselves. It is a different sport on the other side of the draw.
I do not think emotionally or physically that England have come close to the rugby they can produce. We keep saying we have not seen the best of this England team yet, and they keep telling us there is plenty more growth and development in this team. Well, now is the time to grow.
