England to launch Six Nations investigation after Borthwick demand | Rugby | Sport
Steve Borthwick has taken charge of a disastrous Six Nations campaign. (Image: Getty Images)
Here are your today rugby headlines today.
England to initiate Six Nations investigation
England will commence a review into their disappointing Six Nations campaign in the coming days after ending the tournament with just one victory.
The wooden spoon was awarded to Wales for the third consecutive year, despite their impressive win over Italy on Super Saturday, but Steve Tandy’s team have emerged from the championship with numerous positives.
Despite being labelled tournament underdogs and suffering heavy losses to England and France, Wales improved week on week, with commendable performances against Scotland and Ireland preceding their triumph in the final round.
For Steve Borthwick’s squad, however, the situation appears quite different. Having been touted as potential Grand Slam champions before the tournament began, following a streak of 11 consecutive victories, their initial win over Wales was followed by a series of crushing defeats.
After surrendering the Calcutta Cup to Scotland, Borthwick’s men were on the receiving end of a record Irish away victory at Twickenham and a first-ever loss to Italy, before narrowly losing 48-46 to France in a thrilling match in Paris on Saturday evening.
Their lone victory meant England recorded their worst-ever performance in a Six Nations campaign, finishing fifth in the table as Borthwick himself demanded a probe into their failures.
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
There was a marked improvement in the English performance against France, but the deeply disappointing campaign has led pundits and fans to call for Borthwick’s dismissal, with many questions looming as officials dissect what transpired.
A team of senior rugby figures from within and outside the RFU will now gather feedback from coaches and players about what went awry in the coming days and weeks. Whilst such a review is standard procedure, the findings will be keenly anticipated with next year’s Rugby World Cup looming.
Wales duo shine in cup thrashing
Welsh internationals Tommy Reffell and Gabriel Hamer-Webb contributed to Leicester Tigers’ win in the PREM Rugby Cup final as they trounced a second-string Exeter Chiefs side 66-14.
A rain-drenched clash at Welford Road saw Leicester dominate from the outset, with a scorching first-half performance resulting in them scoring four tries within the initial 30 minutes, with Will Wand netting a double and Archie van der Flier and Billy Searle also both crossing.
England ended their Six Nations campaign with one win (Image: Getty Images)
An additional score from Searle gave the Tigers a commanding 35-0 lead, before Ross Vintcent clawed one back for the Chiefs on the brink of half-time.
However, Leicester resumed their dominance after the interval, with prop Van der Flier scoring his second three minutes after the restart, before the referee awarded a penalty try to the Tigers for an illegally collapsed maul on the line.
Will Haydon-Wood scored for Exeter just before the hour mark, but Leicester swiftly retaliated through newly-capped Wales star Hamer-Webb, with the wing managing to squeeze over in the corner.
Despite already being on track for the title, Leicester showed no signs of easing off and Tarek Haffar scored before James O’Connor casually strolled over for a 10th try of the afternoon for the Tigers.
By the end, Exeter, who also fell short in last year’s final, were eagerly awaiting the final whistle, with Leicester claiming the trophy for the first time.
