'Collapse down to overconfidence'

EDDIE Jones believes England’s dramatic collapse in the Guinness Six Nations can be explained by Steve Borthwick’s overconfidence in looking ahead to a title decider against France before the tournament had begun.

- By DUNCAN BECH

(Andrew Matthews/PA)

Successive emphatic defeats to Scotland and Ireland have undone the progress made during a 12-Test winning run and turned the round-four appointment against Italy in Rome on March 7 into a game they dare not lose.

It is a very different scenario to the one Borthwick had envisioned when naming his Six Nations squad last month.

“On March 14 in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we're all aiming to achieve,” the head coach said on January 23.

“We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to watch the team in a massive encounter in the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want.”