A Steve Borthwick England side which badly needs an uptick in performances and results, an Andy Farrell Ireland side that continues to confuse, and a Gregor Townsend Scotland side full of hope this autumn... England headed into July's Nations Championship Tests off the back of the worst Six Nations showing in their history. From five fixtures, they lost four for the first time ever, suffering a first Test defeat against Italy, as well as a record home loss to Ireland by a 42-21 margin at Twickenham.
They lost to Scotland for the fifth time in six years as the wheels well and truly came off a championship campaign that began with a comfortable victory over a poor Wales side at home. A last-gasp defeat to France in Paris on the final day left England fifth in the standings for the first time, for their lowest-ever finish. Travelling to the southern hemisphere in July, England were in a position where they likely had to win two of their three Tests or else face substantial change.
Ahead of those games, the RFU came out and backed Borthwick through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia following what was described as "a challenging" Six Nations review, but the head coach was and is acutely aware he badly needs an uptick in performances and results. A daunting trip to face the Springboks at Ellis Park saw England dispatched 45-21, but they salvaged the summer with a 73-8 mauling of Fiji and then a 31-24 win in Argentina they just about secured. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Despite England's recent poor results and inconsistency under Borthwick, news has since emerged he has signed a contract extension to 2028, with the RFU seeking to avoid uncertainty over his future.
But under Borthwick, England have now had four Six Nations campaigns, failing to win silverware in all of them - championship title or Triple Crown. A lack of consistency, porous defence, uninventive or error-strewn attack and overwhelming indiscipline in terms of cards has generally characterised Borthwick's time in charge, for all that the players at his disposal are clearly talented. Back on home soil, defeats to Australia or Japan this November would constitute a disaster at this stage, while England must attack and challenge New Zealand in their third Test of the month.
Borthwick and his squad still pose more questions than answers, currently. Well, in truth, it's pretty difficult to put your finger on where Andy Farrell's current side are exactly in terms performance and ability. The Six Nations earlier this year began in poor fashion, losing comprehensively to France in Paris, before limping past Italy in Dublin to win without a bonus point.
Then, Farrell made a change at fly-half. Out went a struggling Sam Prendergast, and in came a determined Jack Crowley. The Munsterman guided an attack which thrashed England 42-21 at Twickenham on a record day for Ireland, beat Wales by 10 points at home and defeated Scotland 43-21 in swashbuckling fashion in Dublin to win another Triple Crown, and ultimately come within a few seconds of an unlikely Six Nations title (only a last-gasp penalty seeing France beat England in Paris).
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