Danny Care reveals final stage of Borthwick’s RWC winning masterplan by accident
As England plodded their way through August producing whatever the style of rugby that’s a level below snail-paced is, plenty of fans were left hoping that it would eventually click for Steve Borthwick’s side at some point. Game after game passed and no clicking occurred. Actually, if there is an opposite sound to a click, that happened.
Now fans are left with the pipe dream that it’ll be alright on the night for England when they line-up against Argentina on September 9 in their opening match of the World Cup.
But a minute percentage of England fans are still believing that Borthwick has kept his powder dry throughout August – bone dry – ready to unleash hell upon the rest of the world in September and October. Though those fans seem wildly delusional to the point where they should be tested to see if they have any grasp of reality whatsoever, it turns out they are actually correct, as England scrum-half Danny Care accidentally revealed this week.
In a rallying call to England fans by Care and teammate Jamie George on the latest episode of O2 Inside Line | This Rose this week, the Harlequin let slip Borthwick’s cunning plan.
“Over the past few weeks we know we haven’t hit the straps that we would liked to have,” he said. “But just know and hope that you guys know that we are working so hard to try and get it right. And when I mean get it right, it’s getting it right in France.”
There we go then, in true Eddie Jones fashion, England have held almost everything possible back as they fell to defeats to Wales, Ireland and Fiji and only just scraped past Wales at home. It was all part of a plan and when you think about it, it’s so obvious.
No team that has been training with each other almost every day for months could produce such blunt and unimaginative rugby unless they are luring the world into a false sense of security. One out passes from the ruck to a pack of forwards severely lacking ball carriers is never going to break down a defence, but England know that. Of course they do.
This plan conjured by the England coaching team has slowly been revealing itself throughout the warm-ups as England shipped a shedload of tries and only managed to score their handful of tries through driving mauls and hopeful kicks. While the plan became increasing clear, Care has all but revealed it.
Of course, the loss to Fiji last Saturday at Twickenham was the riskiest part of the plan, as England basically extinguished any hope anyone might have had of success at the World Cup. In that match alone, the World Cup dark horse they were at the beginning of August transformed itself into a different species entirely- one presumably without any legs.
There are different approaches to a World Cup. France and Ireland have adopted the tactic of being supremely good for the last two years. South Africa opted to send the mother of all statements on Friday as they annihilated the All Blacks 35-7. But now everyone knows what to expect from those teams. Meanwhile, teams are expecting an England side who are seemingly yet to make a linebreak in the professional era to turn up and then… BAM, that’s where they’ll get them as Owen Farrell chef’s kisses from the sideline.
Borthwick may have lost some fans along away who will chose to mow the lawn or watch some paint dry while England play at the World Cup, but that is the risk he is willing to take to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. We have now entered the final stage of his World Cup winning plan. England fans can sit back and enjoy.
Take a look at Care accidentally revealing the plan:
