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Most of us have been there. A slow heartbeat as the eyelids slowly open; A desperate thunder for Berocca; Getting out of bed slowly and finding a pack of bacon, a pair of running trainers or whatever is your special treat of choice. Slowly, hazy memories emerge in the heavy mind – perhaps a night worth remembering, perhaps worth forgetting.
For England, Ninth win over New Zealand Falls as hard as ever, and may have caused some people to need care last Sunday morning. Publicly, players were given license to celebrate performances that proved their progress however they wished steve borthwick Recognized the importance of allowing his squad to release some steam after an important win in a team that looks to be in an increasingly encouraging state of development. The eight-day change in their final match of 2025 was helpful; An environment in which perhaps a better balance between light and shadow has been found than some previous groups.
Borthwick would not have indulged too much in either the celebration – the head coach is fonder of orange juice than anything stronger – or in the suggestion that his team is a much-changed unit from a week ago. On Tuesday, it was back to the bagshot, back to work and finishing the job with the last fixture against Argentina. No one would want to stumble over the final fence with an unbeatable year in their house.
Borthwick later underlined, “Training this week was as competitive and as intense as we have seen all autumn.” Announced its team on Wednesday“The players had an extra day [off]He went home and used that time to recover,”
Not everyone has made it to the end of the four-match schedule – which may be helpful to Borthwick in a way. While one, and he in particular, would certainly not wish for the unfortunate Jamie George, Ollie Lawrence and Tom Roebuck to be injured, there is a refreshing feeling in the selection being made partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to drive continued competition for places. Refreshing in a way, that is – no one will confuse 73-cap internationals elliot daly And henry slade Not to boast for rookies, nor indeed for 33-year-old Ben Spencer at scrum half, but such experience figures to be recalled in a backline that now features obvious depth. Important within and to Borthwick’s strategy.
“Part of that is to make sure we have the appropriate level of depth, experience and competition among the team,” the head coach said. Asher Opoku-Fordjour,
“Sure, some [the changes] This was clearly shown by the blows and blows we got in Saturday’s game. Others reflect the depth developing within the team. I’m really pleased with the impact we’ve had late in the game. Now it comes down to those guys who are 16 to 23 to make an impact.”
If this is a side that looks a little light when it comes to carrying the punch, it stands out with controlling quality through the backline and mobility up front. it reflects the new identity of England This has become even more evident over the past year, in which there has been only one defeat so far. Aided by the arrival of Phil Morrow from Saracens as head of performance and the introduction of advanced EPS contracts, which give the national team greater control over a group of 25 key players, England are significantly fitter than in the early days of the Borthwick regime. “The team keeps running and can create and take chances,” Borthwick said. “That’s the obvious difference. This is a team that needs to be able to run for each other and while we talk sometimes we don’t have the power that the England team used to have, what we do have is that this team can run.”
The need to stay the course and run has been underlined again after Argentina’s exploits at Murrayfield this week. This is how the Pumas turned a 21-0 deficit in the flash of an errant pass from Finn Russell The win that puts the opposing head coach in dangerIf there was a sense that a soft Scottish center was too easily exposed to meltdown, the final 20 minutes demonstrated the pace and precision with which Felipe Contepomi’s side can attack – a lesson for both the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand, Had already learned this year.
Few were surprised when Argentina won after a 2–0 defeat to a weak England team on the Lions’ home soil, but perhaps Contepomi did not have enough of the men he was missing. Like South Africa, a squad based almost exclusively on European competitions is filling the Southern Hemisphere’s international schedule; You have to find proper rest time.
Close to full strength – Because they are back at fly half this weekend with Tomas Albornoz and Pablo Matera and Santiago Carreras both lurking on the bench -Argentina are a growing force who have the potential to make it a tough day indeed, if England are still suffering the lingering effects of the New Zealand hangover.
Captain Maro Itoje warned, “This is a team that has hurt us before, this is a team that has beaten us and we know a lot of their players.” “I think there are probably more Argentines playing in the Premiership now. We play against a lot of their guys in France, so we’re well aware of the threat they bring.”