The 45-21 Johannesburg hiding has prompted Mike Tindall and James Haskell to go beyond generic criticism and target something specific: the revolving door of defence coaches under Borthwick. Sinfield, Felix Jones, El-Abd, Wigglesworth — four different people in the role, with Wigglesworth himself converted from attack coach. Tindall's case is statistical: England allowed 1.9 points per visit to their 22 during their 12-match winning run; that figure has ballooned to near four or five in recent competition. Ten clean line breaks against South Africa, with 15 men on the field for 70 minutes, tells the story. Their central argument is that defensive systems require continuity and repetition to embed, and England have had neither. The elephant in the room, both agree, is Shaun Edwards — available post-France, proven at the highest level, and precisely the kind of certified world-class addition Borthwick's staff currently lacks. Haskell is pointed about the broader coaching assembly: with the exception of Felix Jones, he argues England have filled roles with coaches who have potential rather than proven international pedigree, and at Test level that distinction matters. On Borthwick himself, Haskell stops short of calling for his head but sets a high bar for any replacement — Schmidt, Cheika, Farrell, Wayne Smith — and suggests that swapping one unproven setup for another solves nothing. The deeper issue both identify is identity: England don't have one, and without a coherent defensive structure to anchor their physicality, they're unlikely to find one.