Borthwick had been under pressure after the first few matches of the campaign, with complaints made over a lack of long-term progression and style of play on the ball. But a momentous victory over Ireland in Twickenham was backed up by a swashbuckling performance in Lyon and the future is suddenly looking a lot brighter.
Woodward, who coached England to their 2003 Rugby World Cup victory, has been delighted with the team’s past two outings but still harbours some concerns going forward. Borthwick will lead the team at the summer tour matches against New Zealand but Woodward has some critiques over how the ex-Leicester Tigers boss attempts to influence matches.
“One thing I’d still like Borthwick to do is a bit more thought on substitutions. He replaced the entire front row early in the second half against France,” Woodward wrote for the Daily Mail. “Those switches included captain Jamie George.
“I don’t think they were needed. Neither was removing Henry Slade for Manu Tuilagi who was having a strong game. Why take off your best players, especially your captain? That’s a major learning for the future but overall, well done Steve.”
Woodward was pleased overall with England’s campaign, finishing third behind Ireland and France with three wins from five matches, claiming that he did not expect to be so buoyant over the team’s future.
Despite holding a small criticism of Borthwick, England’s third-placed finish at the World Cup and a morale-boosting Six Nations bodes well, though Woodward insists that a spirited tournament should have been capped off with victory on Saturday.
“England should have beaten France and they don’t need me to tell them that,” Woodward added. “Even though they lost in Lyon and failed to back-up the brilliant victory over Ireland at Twickenham, head coach Borthwick and his players should be pleased with a strong campaign.
“For the past three years, England have only won twice in each of those Six Nations which simply wasn’t good enough. While three victories in 2024 suggests only a marginal improvement on the past, England’s progress has been far greater than that shown purely by the statistics.
“For the first time in a long, long time, I am positive about England’s future. The main reason for that is because of the style of play they produced against Ireland and France.”
