Steve Borthwick admits England need to bridge the gap between the Prem and Test rugby quickly if they’re to have a successful autumn campaign. Australia's visit to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Sunday marks the start of the second phase of the inaugural Nations Championship. Borthwick knows England will need to raise their standards at the breakdown and in defence if they are to compete successfully.
While the Prem's focus on attack has created some thrilling spectacles, it is inadequate preparation for the battles to come against the Wallabies, Japan and New Zealand. The only round of Champions Cup action so far this season exposed English clubs to a different level of competition in defence and at the breakdown, as they managed just one win from eight matches. Referee Christophe Ridley provided assistance in training at last week's camp and also gave presentations to the squad in a bid to accelerate their readiness to take on Australia.
"The contact area in the Prem is different to Test rugby," Borthwick said. "That was exemplified in Europe where the English clubs lost more ball and won back less ball at the breakdown than any other nation. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "The other area is the emphasis and importance placed upon defence.
We need to ensure that we make it very, very difficult for the opposition to score. "One of the challenges is that we are refereed domestically by English referees when internationally, quite clearly, we will never have the English referees, so you need to get used to other interpretations. "Having that European round pleased me because clearly players needed to be able to adjust.
The best players are smart and the best players adjust. "And I think it's pretty obvious that over the last six to eight months, we haven't adjusted and dealt with moments in the way we want to." England have amassed 15 yellow cards in their eight Tests so far this year, including four in their most recent outing against Argentina in July. Borthwick believes going on the attack provides the solution to the indiscipline.
"Frankly, we spend too much time defending," he said. "The way the interpretations are right now, as soon as you spend time defending there is likely to be a decision that goes against you. "There has been an exponential increase in cards given - and not just by us.
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