England's Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere block — two wins from three — has bought Borthwick some breathing room after a Six Nations campaign that left serious questions hanging. The piece rates the recovery as genuine, pointing to a more balanced attack, a sharper defensive structure, and standout contributions from Earl, Chessum, the Fin Smith/Van Poortvliet axis and Seb Atkinson as signs that England have found a workable new shape. The 45-21 Bok defeat is contextualised as an unfortunate opener given England's form going in, while the 73-8 dismantling of Fiji and a nervy 31-24 escape against Argentina round out a campaign that is assessed as promising rather than conclusive. The elephant in the room, though, is discipline: 34 penalties and six yellows across three Tests, stacked on top of an equally ugly Six Nations tally, has the piece describing the problem as an epidemic. The near-collapse against Argentina — six yellows, three second-half tries conceded — is the clearest warning sign. England are moving forward, but this penalty count has now survived two coaching reviews without meaningful improvement, and that has to be the story of what comes next.
England rebound but discipline remains a crisis
England's Nations Championship block shows genuine progress under Borthwick — better attack, better defence, quality individual performances — but a penalty count of 34 across three Tests, with six yellows, is now being called an epidemic and remains the unresolved threat to any sustained improvement.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Smith vows England will 'leave it all out there' against Springboks
Marcus Smith says England's 36-man squad, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, are targeting a historic win over the Springboks in the Nations Championship opener, having trained in oxygen masks to prepare for the Highveld.
Erasmus: 'We don't see the Nations Championship as a competition'
Erasmus says the Boks won't adjust their approach to chase Nations Championship log points — each Test is treated as a standalone match, with squad rotation across the window as the priority over competition standings.
Contepomi: Boks have cracked the balance — and that's what makes them dangerous
Contepomi argues the Boks' real danger lies in their evolving balance between forward dominance and expansive attack — and flags sustained possession as the best way to exploit their defence.
Janse van Rensburg at the top of England's centre pecking order — and what it means for the Boks
Borthwick's centre headache has a new frontrunner: Janse van Rensburg is rated the likely starter at 12 for England's Tests against Fiji and Argentina, though he's ineligible for the opener against the Springboks. The piece ranks all options at 12 and 13, with Freeman locked in outside and Slade unlucky to be on the fringes.