England face defensive dilemma ahead of Six Nations

Amid the end-of-term celebration of England's nine tries in their 59-14 thrashing of Japan on Sunday, it was the two tries scored by the generally outclassed visitors that will probably be top of coach Steve Borthwick's review list this week.

England ended a run of five defeats with an entertaining victory that gave Borthwick a 2024 record of five wins from 12 games - two against Japan, and one against Italy, Wales and Ireland.

His opposite number on Sunday, Eddie Jones, was sacked in 2022 after his (superior) record of five wins and a draw was deemed unacceptable, but Borthwick was in upbeat mood.

"You can see the identity they're trying to build as a team," he told reporters on Sunday. "The team moves the ball, can score in different ways and some of the tries were exceptional. In the last four weeks, we've scored some really outstanding tries with the skill level of this group."

MORE AMBITIOUS, BACKWARDS DEFENSIVELY

Few could argue that, in comparison with the grinding approach that took England to the 2019 World Cup semifinals, they are a more ambitious team with ball in hand, but they have gone backwards defensively.

Japan, having barely touched the ball, twice sliced through them from long range to score tries, while South Africa, Australia and New Zealand also exposed glaring fault lines out wide and through the middle.

It should not be surprising, however, as England have found themselves wrestling with their whole defensive approach after an unexpected backroom shuffle.

After the World Cup they brought in Felix Jones from South Africa and he immediately introduced the blitz defence which had been so effective with the Springboks.

England looked like they were getting to grips with it in two narrow defeats in New Zealand in July, but were then rocked by Jones's surprise resignation seven months into the job.

Borthwick replaced him with his old friend Joe El-Abd, albeit initially in a job-share arrangement with his French club Oyonnax, and they have looked a bit betwixt and between under him.

They key to a successful blitz defence is for everyone to be aligned, and England have not been. All-too often someone has rushed up, while someone else has not, creating the dog-leg of space which opposing teams have attacked with relish.

Borthwick does not have long to decide what to do and little time with French-based El-Abd to discuss it before a tough Six Nations start away to Ireland and home to France.