Borthwick & George react to win over Japan
England Men head coach Steve Borthwick and captain Jamie George react to the team's 59-14 win over Japan in the Autumn Nations Series.
England men’s head coach Steve Borthwick says the side will continue to evolve as he looks ahead to the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.
Borthwick’s side ended their 2024 Autumn Nations Series with a nine-try victory over Japan, having fallen to narrow defeats against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
He expressed his frustration at the narrow margin of those defeats, with a full review planned ahead of their opening 2025 fixture against Ireland in Dublin.
He said: "Over the next week or two we will look in detail at what we need to do to move forward. There are some things at the end of games that we haven't quite converted, and we can all pick out different ones. The natural thing is to always look at what we need to get better at.
"I think we also need to be clear on how this team wants to play. I think you see a team that has developed in terms of its athleticism, in terms of its skillset. You've seen a different make up of the team, by that we play slightly differently so I want to make sure we reflect on all the good things that have been done and steps in that direction.
"Before the Series started the coaching team came together and had some changes in it. I've been really pleased with how this coaching team has come together. I said the same to the management team in our meeting, I talked about how proud I was and how well they've worked over the last five weeks and we'll make sure that we're even better come the Six Nations."
Captain George also noted his excitement at the potential in the squad, with a number of young players impressing over the last four games. The youth of the squad means the recent games have been an opportunity for growth for the likes of Chandler Cunningham-South and Ollie Sleightholme, who have made an impressive start to their international careers.
George said: "We're very hungry, we have a huge appetite to learn. We have some incredibly talented players and we have such a brilliant squad. They are so easy to lead because very rarely do you need to say too much.
"The thing that excites me the most is how far we can go with this team."
