It was always going to be a tough transition for the England squad with their previous head coach Eddie Jones being relieved of his duties at the start of the World Cup year. Many peoples preferred coach, Steve Borthwick, took ahold of the reigns to steady an England ship in desperate need of direction with the Six Nations championship being his first involvement as England coach.
A tough encounter with an impressive Scotland side saw his first match end in defeat, however two following wins against Italy and Wales started to give the English fans some much needed hope. Unfortunately for Borthwicks men, they were undone at the weekend by a quite frankly superb France side in a record defeat at Twickenham.
Whilst England may not have had the greatest day at the office, there must be absolutely nothing taken away from the clinical nature of the French performance. Fast, effective and precise, this team of once in a generation superstars showed all their technical ability that has been built up over a number of years of playing with each other. Led by the likes of Antoine DuPont and Romaine Ntamack, the French were able to dictate play all around the park through a wonderful kicking game and the ability to spot gaps on the ground.
Besides the wonders we saw on the field, there will always be those less pleased with the English performance, which is an emotion completely understandable in this situation.
What has not been well received however is the way Borthwick has been targeted on Twitter. Well known Rugby journalist, Will Kelleher, has received huge backlash on Twitter after revealing a series of stats painting Borthwick in a bad light.
Whilst many have agreed with him, some former players and fans have felt the need to come to the current England coaches defence:
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