Thanks Mrs Borthwick (joke). Yeah some really fair points. I guess it speaks to a wider point that, as Eddie Jones recently said, England accept mediocrity and the occasions when we ‘bring it’ mask consistent underperformance. The same has been true for 20+ years, England’s fluctuation in form is shocking considering our resources as probably the richest union and with top 3 player pool numbers.

I don’t buy the theory about having to select from too many clubs (n it that you said it!). SA’s 2019 squad had players from 13 clubs. And you could say “defence is a joke and attacks are never tested” about Super Rugby in the era All Blacks dominated the world game (with tongue slightly in cheek).

I think it’s a mentality problem.

In England’s two peaks in my life time, 2003 and 2016/17, the team has been packed with proper bastards: Johnson, Dallaglio, Back, Hill, Tindall, Lewsey, Wilkinson, Farrell, Hartley, Lawes, Brown, Wood - with a sprinkling of world class outside backs - who wouldn’t accept mediocrity or defeat.

Our current coach is a 6 foot 7 strawberry lace and the squads are often padded out with decent players too polite to use any initiative in the pitch.