The England rugby team has suffered back to back defeats in the Six Nations campaign after thumping Wales in their opening round. Funny how quickly things can turn from being world beaters with the Wales win placing them on 12 consecutive wins in a row and being talked up as serious contenders for the 2027 World Cup and favorites along with France for the 2026 Six Nations Title.
The problem with any team once you start believing your own press it places you in a dangerous position and you will start to lose focus. I think this is the hardest part about managing a successful team and keeping your players grounded. The problem is there is nothing wrong with the team and this is all down to preparation and mindset to keep you in the now. This has always been England's biggest problem and who can forget the 2019 World Cup when the English press had already made England favorites to lift the trophy. They failed which was expected by everyone else who was not an England rugby supporter and then showed their true colors by not wanting to receive the silver medal due to their disappointment. This showed the team in a very bad light not being able to handle a defeat and ultimately showed total disrespect to their opponents.
The England rugby team is a good solid team who should be competing for honors especially in the Six Nations and not necessarily the World Cup even though they have a good a chance as any other team if they get everything right. That is a big "if" because we know the team can self destruct.
The problem is the team and management have already jumped the gun with an interview before the Six Nations having even started stating they see the final game as the championship decider between themselves and France in Paris. They failed to take into account the four other games before they got to that point and are now staring at finishing 4th or 5th and definitely not 1st or 2nd. They have already stated their intentions for the World Cup with their aim at winning that tournament in 2027 which is madness.
Teams discuss their goals internally and never talk to the press about their intentions because it is something you just never do. All one is doing is disrespecting the other sides and placing too much pressure on the team. everyone has their dreams but you never share them openly because the chances are they will never happen.
This weekend England take on Italy in Rome and the coaching staff have made 9 personnel changes with 12 positional changes. This is a major reshuffle and works only if you have the depth in the squad. The like for like replacements should all be of the same standard and I am not certain if this is the case. Drastic changes to the team normally happen when you are playing a weaker team and you are trying out new players to give them some game time. Ideally you had one or two in your normal games and develop the squad during the course of a normal season. These are forced changes due to the teams circumstances and performances which just have not been there.
From an outsider looking in knowing that when the wheels come off it is more down to the team management and senior players losing sight of their objectives. When Steve Borthwick was appointed head coach I was not sold and I am definitely not sold now and do think his appointment was a big mistake. A coach needs to get the best out of his players and it just seems as though they have gone about it in the wrong way and this looks like a situation that is repeated too often with previous mistakes never being learned from.
For one the players are not grounded and definitely do not feel under pressure to perform with one of the English players recently commenting that other players within the team admitted to not performing or pulling their weight. The coaching staff should have addressed this and not let this fester inside the camp and players should have been removed to set an example for others on not what to do. Complacency is the worst thing that can happen to a team and only happens when you believe you are better and under estimate your opponents. Italy are not the finished article yet and are well on their way to maybe getting there over the next couple of seasons so England better be prepared mentally and physically or they could find themselves on the wrong end yet again.
The team and coaching staff have put themselves in this position and they will either sink or swim. If the team sinks then you can expect to have a new coach in place or a stand in coach before the French game. If the team wins I am not sure if the coaching staff have done enough to keep their positions because they talk the talk, but do not deliver. The coaching staff is the problem and not necessarily the players mainly as the players are not being managed properly. This has been coming for a while now and is not just about the last few matches.