Eddie Jones has pointed the finger at Steve Borthwick’s pre-tournament rhetoric as the root cause of England’s dramatic Six Nations implosion.
The former England head coach believes Borthwick’s public declaration about targeting a championship showdown with France in Paris was a critical misstep.
“I thought Steve made some very uncharacteristic comments about a title-decider against France, looking ahead,” Jones said on his Rugby Unity podcast.
“Steve is the most pragmatic and intelligent coach you could meet, but to look ahead for any team is fraught with danger. We all know that.”
Eddie Jones has blamed Steve Borthwick for England’s slump
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England arrived at the tournament riding a 12-match winning streak but have since suffered crushing defeats to Scotland and Ireland, ending their hopes of a first title since 2020.
Jones went further, suggesting that Borthwick may not have been acting entirely of his own volition when making the bold statements.
The current Japan head coach implied that pressure from the Rugby Football Union could have been behind the unusually confident messaging.
“But sometimes the pressure comes so that the union, the RFU, wants to hear more. They want to entice the fans because they’re all hungry for money so they want fans support. So be bold, come out – someone has told him to do that,” Jones said.
Borthwick had declared on 23 January: “On March 14 in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve.”
Steve Borthwick has come under increasing pressure | PASuch ambitious public pronouncements were notably out of character for the typically measured former England captain.
Jones explained the psychological ripple effect that such forward-looking statements can trigger within a squad.
“The players read everything, the wives read everything, the girlfriends read everything, the boyfriends read everything, they all read it,” he said.
The 66-year-old Australian described how this information filters through to players via their inner circles, shifting focus away from the task at hand.
“They hear that and they talk to them and they say, ‘We’ve got to get our tickets for France. Where are we staying? Where are we going to go the night before for dinner?'” Jones added.
“All of that happens and the slight psychological change you get in the team because of that, they start to look ahead.”
Jones believes the 31-20 defeat at Murrayfield, where England found themselves trailing 17-0 in the early stages, inflicted lasting psychological damage on the squad.
England suffered a humbling defeat as Ireland delivered a crushing 42-21 bonus-point triumph over the hosts | GETTYThat mental wound was then carried into Saturday’s encounter with Ireland, which saw the visitors run in five tries during a comprehensive 42-21 victory at Allianz Stadium.
“They got caught on the hop against Scotland,” Jones observed. “That was a one-off, but now that one-off has crept into their psyche.
“They’re disappointed about where they are and they’re all feeling a bit threatened now.”
England have lost to Ireland and Scotland during the Six Nations this year with Italy and France to come
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The veteran coach identified strong guidance both on the pitch and in the coaching setup as the remedy for England’s current malaise.
“How do you change it around? It takes leadership on and off the field,” he concluded.