England captain Steve Borthwick says that the time for England to deliver is now upon them and that they now need to play consistently for 80 minutes instead of playing in patches.
With the Rugby World Cup now less than two years away England have two Six Nations campaigns, two June tours and one Autumn International series in which they must settle on a game plan and a first choice team.
Ever since Will Greenwood retired England have tried umpteen combinations at centre and the latest is Matt Tait and Riki Flutey. Both players are know for their line breaking and on paper the latest combination looks to be just the ticket.
During the Autumn Internationals last year England bumbled their way through without a number of regular first choice starters and only managed to score one try in the whole series. There were signs of promise though and they kept up with New Zealand's All Blacks until the final quarter when the All Blacks pulled away.
Two years ago the same thing happened when Wales visited Twickenham but Borthwick now realises that it takes 80 minutes to win a game.
"We want to deliver a performance on the field when each and every one of us plays to the best of our abilities consistently for 80 minutes," Borthwick told the Express.
"At times against some of the best teams in the world we have been very competitive but we haven’t maintained that for 80 minutes." he added.
Another problem for England has been their discipline and Borthwick is also aware of the impact that one call from the referee can make.
"We understand that and the challenge that is ahead, that one opportunity, one act of ill-discipline or mistake can decide these matches."
After an uninspiring Autumn series heads in the coaching set up were expected to roll but the whole coaching team survived and apart from Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery England have almost the entire team they want which leaves little space for excuses and Borthwick knows it.
"We have a great team and a strong squad," said Borthwick.
"I have captain written after my name and I lead the side out, but the success of any side is determined by all the players and coaches.
"While I’m honoured to be captain, I’ve never once described it as being about me. It’s about the team. I’ve captained teams who’ve done well and others who haven’t done so well. Does that mean I’m any different as captain?
"When the team lose, the captain gets blamed. When they win, the captain gets praised. The reality is somewhere in the middle."
