Harder than bringing in or leaving out any player is to replace an entire plan.
“Lee has been widely regarded as one of the country’s top attack coaches,” said Borthwick in September as he welcomed attack coach Lee Blackett on board full-time.
“His teams play fast, exciting rugby that consistently look to score tries.”
Blackett impressed in a temporary stint on the summer tour of Argentina. England scored seven tries across their two Test victories over the Pumas.
In his final season with Bath he coaxed 96 regular-season tries out of the eventual Premiership champions – the most any team had scored in the three seasons since the league contracted with the loss of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish.
Blackett was also inheriting an England side that had enjoyed a stellar 2025 Six Nations campaign, racking up 25 tries – the most they have managed in almost a quarter of a century – under the guidance of Richard Wigglesworth.
Somewhere along the line, though, England have misplaced their cutting edge.
They have 14 tries and a clutch of wasted opportunities and platforms to show from this season’s competition.
Once again against Italy – as in their defeats by Scotland and Ireland – they averaged less than two points per 22m entry. That figure is substantially below par for any team with serious title aspirations.
The players have insisted they are happy with the tactics they are being asked to play, but Blackett and Wigglesworth are an excellent brains trust for Borthwick to consult if he decides to reshape the gameplan.
While tactics based around the aerial contest, territory and minimising risk have been a feature of Borthwick’s teams since he took charge of Leicester in his first head coach role in 2020, he has shown flexibility on defence.
The ultra-aggressive blitz that former defence coach Felix Jones implemented in 2024 has been tempered, with cohesion now valued over line speed.
A shift in attack, which brings England’s undoubted talent to bear and leaves them less dependent on the bounce of a tapped-back ball, could be timely.
