England: Steve Borthwick issues Six Nations rallying cry as title ambitions aired
England head coach Steve Borthwick (right) has issued a rallying call to his side ahead of the 2026 Six Nations
‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!’ Henry V exclaimed to his troops before charging into battle against France.
It seems, for the Six Nations at least, that Steve Borthwick will take the proverbial spot of the former monarch, with England set to charge headfirst into the Parisian breach known as the Stade de France to take the Six Nations title back across the Channel.
‘We want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve’
England come into this year’s Championship as leading title favourites. They’re fresh off the back of an 11-Test winning run, a block which has seen them beat the likes of the All Blacks, Argentina and France among others, while they also sit comfortably ahead of their title rivals in the World Rugby rankings too.
But, it’s by no means a guarantee. Ireland and France have held a duopoly over the title since England’s last triumph in 2020, and are expected to once again push hard for the title. Scotland will also again be an outside bet for honours, and will be out to reclaim the Calcutta Cup as well following last year’s narrow defeat at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, while Italy and Wales will be keen to stun an expectant English fanbase.
The fixture list is also fairly kind to England, with it all building up to a possible Grand Slam decider against Les Bleus at the Stade de France, and Borthwick has called for his side to put themselves into a position to replicate their feet of 10 years past.
“Well, I think the first thing I’d like to say about that (expectations) is it’s brilliant that people are talking in that way about this England team,” he said.
“They can see the development of the team, the talent that’s in the team and the potential that’s in it. I think we’re nowhere near maxing out. It’s got a lot of talent within it.
“We met a couple of weeks ago, and we talked about the Six Nations Championship. We know it’s tight, we know there are lots of good teams in it. We also know the last seven Six Nations Championships have gone down to the last round of fixtures, and we talked about that as a team.
“On the 14th of March, in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve. That’s what we want.
“We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to come and watch the team in a massive encounter on the final round, with the opportunity to achieve what we want.
“We also know that the only way you get there is by ensuring each of you take each step one at a time and get our preparation right for the start of the tournament.
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Titles are certainly earned, not given, and England have certainly earned that right after a strong 2025 season.
As mentioned above, Borthwick’s side ended the year with a run of 11 successive victories, and in total only tasted defeat once in the calendar year as well – ironically in their first game as well against Ireland in Dublin.
This time last year, however, a winning run of that kind simply wouldn’t have been dreamed of.
‘There’s so much more to come from this team’
2024 was a mixed year for the national side to say the least. Yet another disappointing Six Nations campaign ended with a third-placed finish, while they also went on to win just two of their next seven Tests across the year.
And, Borthwick is hoping his side can continue on their upward trajectory this year as well.
“I’m asked questions like that (about progress) quite a bit, and saying how far along they are along any kind of path is saying there’s an endpoint, and I don’t believe in that,” he said.
“There’s so much more to come from this team, and as we evolve, there are little bits we can find, other bits of the game we can extend, and other players can come into the squad, like a (Vilikesa) Sela or a Trevor (Davison), that will add something different, and another element of competition to the squad. That in itself will raise the standards. Players have to work exceptionally hard to be in that 23.
“You’ve got to keep pushing the team. I want these players to come into the squad to push the team on.”
