The casual rugby fan might have seen yesterday's result and thought what the hell is going on?
For many, though, a result of this nature has been on the cards for a while. Admittedly not many would have imagined such a one-sided affair, but many were expecting the gulf in class between England and France to be on display, and it certainly was.
What makes the 53-10 scoreline even worse is that the rugby match took place at Twickenham. Often a fortress for the England rugby team, but in recent times, any aura surrounding this great rugby nation has been set aside. If you are familiar with arbitrage betting, you will be more than aware of the importance of backing both sides.
Oh, dear! After losing by a record amount, the last thing this England rugby team probably wants to do is play the best team in the world away from home. Ireland are also going for the grand slam at this point which might result in many English fans hiding behind the sofa or maybe making the wiser option of not watching at all and hoping for a respectable scoreline.
Ireland came into the six nations full of confidence after a remarkable series victory against the All Blacks. A feat that happens once in a generation if you're lucky. New Zealand's record at home cannot be compared to anything else in the world of sports.
When a major sporting nation like England experiences such a result, it can spark a new beginning. Better performances can paper over the cracks, whereas a result of this nature makes it clear and evident to everyone that a complete rebuild is needed.
Borthwick has got one hell of a job on his hands, and there will be some already questioning his credentials, but the truth is, in Rugby, you are at the mercy of your players. If they are not as good as what you are coming up against, you will lose more than you will win.
A lot of rugby fans would have felt a lot of sympathy for Steve Borthwick yesterday. Most would admit that he was as helpless as the fans watching, and this is certainly not how he would have wanted to start a new era of English rugby.
England's heaviest defeat of all time remains an incredible 76-0 thrashing by Australia in 1998, but this was a record defeat for Twickenham, which Borthwick admits is painful to have besides his name. Speaking after the game, he had this to say:
“No one is under any illusions about what we have to do, we have been upfront about that, and this shows exactly the stark reality. We fell considerably short against the No 2 team in the world, and that is the reality. We wanted to put on a good performance for the fans, so that really hurts us. We are incredibly disappointed with the performance. Immense credit to France, who showed their power and pace and where the gap is. They played exceptionally well, and we played poorly and have to learn from it and get better."
This is all he could say. Besides lying through his teeth or begging for forgiveness, there is very little the new coach of England could say to make the fans who watched the game at Twickenham and on TV feel any better about the state of English rugby. All fans can do now is hope a new crop of hungry young players are coming through and hope that the transitional period will be shorter than some are fearing.
The casual rugby fan might have seen yesterday's result and thought what the hell is going on? For many, though, a result of this nature has been on the cards for a while. Admittedly not many would have imagined such a one-sided affair, but many were expecting the gulf in class between England and France to be on display, and it certainly was.
What makes the 53-10 scoreline even worse is that the rugby match took place at Twickenham. Often a fortress for the England rugby team, but in recent times, any aura surrounding this great rugby nation has been set aside. If you are familiar with arbitrage betting, you will be more than aware of the importance of backing both sides.
Oh, dear! After losing by a record amount, the last thing this England rugby team probably wants to do is play the best team in the world away from home. Ireland are also going for the grand slam at this point which might result in many English fans hiding behind the sofa or maybe making the wiser option of not watching at all and hoping for a respectable scoreline.
Ireland came into the six nations full of confidence after a remarkable series victory against the All Blacks. A feat that happens once in a generation if you're lucky. New Zealand's record at home cannot be compared to anything else in the world of sports.
When a major sporting nation like England experiences such a result, it can spark a new beginning. Better performances can paper over the cracks, whereas a result of this nature makes it clear and evident to everyone that a complete rebuild is needed.
Borthwick has got one hell of a job on his hands, and there will be some already questioning his credentials, but the truth is, in Rugby, you are at the mercy of your players. If they are not as good as what you are coming up against, you will lose more than you will win.
A lot of rugby fans would have felt a lot of sympathy for Steve Borthwick yesterday. Most would admit that he was as helpless as the fans watching, and this is certainly not how he would have wanted to start a new era of English rugby.
England's heaviest defeat of all time remains an incredible 76-0 thrashing by Australia in 1998, but this was a record defeat for Twickenham, which Borthwick admits is painful to have besides his name. Speaking after the game, he had this to say.
“No one is under any illusions about what we have to do, we have been upfront about that, and this shows exactly the stark reality. We fell considerably short against the No 2 team in the world, and that is the reality. We wanted to put on a good performance for the fans, so that really hurts us. We are incredibly disappointed with the performance. Immense credit to France, who showed their power and pace and where the gap is. They played exceptionally well, and we played poorly and have to learn from it and get better."
This is all he could say. Besides lying through his teeth or begging for forgiveness, there is very little the new coach of England could say to make the fans who watched the game at Twickenham and on TV feel any better about the state of English rugby. All fans can do now is hope a new crop of hungry young players are coming through and hope that the transitional period will be shorter than some are fearing.
