MIKE BROWN: Steve Borthwick put England on the right track and they made significant progress in the Six Nations… but facing the All Blacks in their own backyard will be a litmus test

Before the Six Nations, Steve Borthwick said his aim was to improve England’s recent poor record in the Championship.

The England head coach stressed that three consecutive years of just two wins was a disappointing return for English rugby. He was absolutely right to do so.

With three wins in 2024, the numbers suggest England have improved and I think they have made significant progress.

The victory against Ireland, thanks to Marcus Smith’s spectacular late goal, was a highlight. This would have shown the players that they have the ability to beat the best teams. But England is only just getting started, so let’s not get carried away.

They are expected to compete for the Six Nations title and the Grand Slam. While winning three games to finish third is a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to do. England must build on this Six Nations when they travel to New Zealand this summer.

It will be a litmus test, as facing the All Blacks in their own backyard is one of the toughest challenges you can face. England have only won twice on New Zealand soil.

In 2014, I started all three tests against the All Blacks. We ended up losing all three matches. But the first two Tests were close. We lost 20-15 in Auckland and by a single point in Dunedin before running out of steam and being swept away 36-13 in the final match.

England will be able to give New Zealand a tough time providing they look to play the kind of game they did against Ireland. This must be the model for the team moving forward.

Borthwick has been criticized for the one-dimensional nature of his coaching. I didn’t play under him when he was managing Leicester, but being at the Tigers as a player now and speaking to the guys here, I have a good understanding of his methods. I was also a teammate of Steve in England.

He certainly knows what he wants. He has a very structured game plan, centered around a solid kicking game. But this Six Nations has seen him evolve his game plan. It’s really promising for England, because at international level you can’t beat the top teams by focusing on a kicking game and solid set pieces. You need more than that.

It also helps fans support the team if the brand of rugby is good to watch.

I was surprised when my Leicester teammate, Freddie Steward, was left out of the Scotland game at my old full-back position. It didn’t work, as England performed poorly as a team.

But George Furbank, who came on, played well against Ireland. I still think Freddie has a great future in this England set-up, as he is very good in his full-back basics.

With Furbank and guys like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman going on a rampage, England can have a bright future as long as they build on what they have achieved so far.

They need to find consistency in their attack to avoid a repeat of Scotland.

Felix Jones’ blitz defense also needs to continue to improve. They need to perfect the press so that it can become a powerful weapon, like South Africa’s success.

The last thing is selection.

They have the foundation of a solid team. But they also need to determine who will move the team forward in the long term.

For example, Danny Care might not play in the next World Cup, so who is Alex Mitchell’s replacement number 9? It’s the same with Dan Cole.

There are still questions to answer, but I’m more optimistic about England at the end of the Six Nations than at the start.