England head coach Steve Borthwick pledges 'different approach' in bid to change Six Nations fortunes

Steve Borthwick has promised England will take a "different approach" to the 2024 Six Nations.

Borthwick feels England have under-performed at the tournament in recent years, recording just a 50% win ratio over the past six editions.

That includes a fourth-place finish last year, and two fifth-place finishes under former manager Eddie Jones. England last won the Six Nations in 2020.

"We want to make sure this England team is competing in every single game, which is not something you can say about recent years," Borthwick said at the tournament launch in Dublin.

"The expectations of supporters are a lot higher than what the team have actually achieved – and quite rightly. The team is really well aware that we haven’t performed in the Six Nations for a period of time."

Borthwick added: "Ireland and France have been the dominant teams and everybody is trying to compete with those two sides.

"What’s happened in the past is that lots is talked about England prior to the tournament, but England haven’t then achieved."

England begin their Six Nations campaign against Italy at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, February 3.

The team will not play defending champions Ireland until their penultimate fixture on March 9, before coming up against 2022 winners France for their final match on March 16.

England’s 36-player squad will travel to Girona this week for a training camp ahead of their opening encounter.

"Our intent is to hit the ground running in Rome the way we want with the intensity that we want to, which again is something that England have not done in recent years," Borthwick said.

"At times we have not jumped into this tournament and have been caught in that first game.

"We want this to be a different mindset for England, a different way of approaching the game and the tournament. And we will approach our camp in Girona differently.

"We’re taking a different approach because we need different results to previous tournaments."

Newly-announced England captain Jamie George, who missed Saracens’ 39-24 win against Lyon in the Investec Champions Cup to recover from a neck injection, is expected to be fit for the training camp in Girona.

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