Steve Borthwick praises England's adaptability after Lawrence injury

England head coach Steve Borthwick has praised his team’s ability to adapt after an early injury to Ollie Lawrence in their 47-24 Six Nations victory over Italy on March 9.

The England centre, who had been one of the standout performers in the tournament, suffered what appeared to be a serious injury just eight minutes into the match.

The incident could potentially rule him out for the rest of the season and jeopardize his chances of making the British & Irish Lions squad.

With Lawrence forced off the field, England had to reorganize their backline swiftly. Elliot Daly, who had started at fullback, was moved into the midfield, which was already featuring a new partnership with Fraser Dingwall given a rare start.

Marcus Smith was then brought off the bench to fill the fullback position. Despite the disruption, England maintained their attacking momentum and secured a dominant win.

Borthwick acknowledged the team’s response to the setback, highlighting their adaptability and intelligence.

“I was really pleased with the way they adapted to the early disruption with Ollie Lawrence’s injury against a really tricky opponent, who were very streetwise. Fingers crossed the injury’s not quite as severe as we fear it might be.”

England’s attacking display came as a strong response after they were criticized for a lackluster performance in their previous win over Scotland.

The seven-try display showcased a more dynamic and aggressive approach, which Borthwick was eager to highlight. “The backline was good. They did a lot of good things and we are trying to build a squad.

Today was the right time to make some changes. So in that context, to do that and to get the result, to get the seven tries was a really great performance by the guys.”

Borthwick emphasized the shift in England’s playing style and their ability to respond to different challenges.

“I’ve talked about the team playing fast and being aggressive with the ball and that’s the language I’ve used.

"Scotland played a very smart game, really tactically suitable, but today was a completely different challenge and I thought the guys dealt with this challenge really well.”