LONG READ Mick Cleary: 'Borthwick deserves the benefit of the doubt at this juncture. Just.'

Lets take a stroll into consolation territory, into a land of seductive views, where the sun rises no matter how dark and bleak the horizon once appeared, where there is hope and perspective, where little things matter and where there is a bright future. That is where England are after this weekend, by default rather than by choice, clinging to the feelgood vibe that came from a nine-try victory over Japan, a boost that sends them into the pre-Six Nations period with some comforting  thoughts, that they have the ability to punch hard up front and to finish with devilish certainty. Big ups to the stalwart Jamie George with his brace, Luke Cowan-Dickie too and the potent wide men, Ollie Sleightholme and Tom Roebuck. Self-esteem may be an intangible thing but it matters. England’s self-belief has been snipped away at over the last month, any sense of strong identity eroded. All ticks in those boxes. As we are away in la-la land for the time being, we’ll gloss over the troubled defence with is, worryingly, still neither one thing nor the other. But, hey, as long as you score more than the opposition.

Of course like all good trips, the potential for self-deception, of buying into marketing hype and a flowery spin on things, is too readily available. This victory over Japan was not without merit but if you want one measuring stick as to what it really meant in the grand scheme of things then you can bet your bottom dollar that the Twickenham stadium PA system would not be blaring out ‘Hey Jude’ minutes before the end if this had been a full-bore contest with everything still on the line. The mood music that does impact on spectators is generated by fine performances and a positive scoreboard. Anything else is a distraction. The dear old Beatles number was a distraction.

Let’s cross over instead to the land of the living, the real world. England have had a poor autumn. They lost the three matches that really mattered. Yes, by narrow margins. But if you buy into that sloppy, deluded way of thinking then you should acknowledge that England’s one victory of proper note in the year, the only occasion on which they have beaten a team ranked above them, was their pip-squeaker (23-22) against Ireland in March. It’s a two way street this clutching at straws, the fine-margins stuff. Close is one thing. Getting the cigar quite another. One victory in those matches against the Big Three would have given England a get-out-of-jail card. But three and zip means that they approach 2025, two years into the Steve Borthwick tenure, still with much to prove. The players, hearty and willing, may believe in the project. Of course they do. And they do appear a genuinely tight-knit bunch, shaped by the admirable hand of George. The rest of us, though, have yet to be convinced. Promise – and, to be fair, there were three cracking contests in November although Sunday was a dud – has to be turned into substance pretty damn quickly for the naysayers to be silenced.

Eddie Jones opted to run through his resources on Sunday, fielding one of the most inexperienced sides ever to play at Twickenham with only 211 caps between them. That’s what was up against England.

England are, at best, unproven when it comes to weighing up the contenders for the 2025 Six Nations: at worst, they are amongst the also-rans, mid-table mediocrity status. That’s the only measure of assessment you can apply to what has been a frustrating campaign. They have been glimpses – their attack has delivered only in sporadic bursts with Ollie Sleightholme a finisher par excellence  but their defence has faltered too often for comfort. Even against Japan, who were unable to generate much momentum, they were breached too easily with both Brave Blossom tries due in part to England blunders in the tackle. Until their defence is fixed – blitz, drift, whatever, just all make your mind up – then England are fallible.

Japan were paltry opposition, a pale imitation of the team that so thrilled and achieved here in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and played the part of perfect hosts in 2019: warm and welcoming off the field, clever and productive on it. Eddie Jones opted to run through his resources on Sunday, fielding one of the most inexperienced sides ever to play at Twickenham with only 211 caps between them. That’s what was up against England. It’s a fair bet that most Premiership club sides would have put a dent in them.

It’s a great pity that Steve Borthwick didn’t follow suit in testing out a few youngsters, men such as Northampton back-rower, Henry Pollock, who would have had a decent slab of action given that Sam Underhill hobbled off after just 15 minutes. Saracens’ Tom Willis might have been worth a crack, too, Ted Hill also. Of course Pollock’s day will come and, of course, Borthwick values loyalty and the aspirational value of the jersey. But, like it or not, that 2027 World Cup clock is ticking and this was a ready-made opportunity, with victory guaranteed no matter who England fielded, to get some miles under young belts. At least we had a spell to get to know Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour can offer. All in order on that front.

In reality there are very few England fans who will be looking forward to New Year activities with any turbo-charged optimism. Ireland can , France can and so too Scotland after their grafting, sharply-realised win over the Wallabies. Three teams, the three next opponents for England. That’s the ready reckoner for England. The landscape could look different by the mid-point of the championship.

England’s defence has been playground stuff at times. It’s been like British Bulldog – helter skelter, knock over who you can while the rest run through you.

Borthwick has to sort out his defensive coaching strategy. If England are as muddled as they have been they are doomed. Joe El-Abd has to be trusted to do it his way or what is the point of having him there. He’s now back at Oyonnax which is far from ideal. There is a lot of guff spoken about defence, the mantra being that any system needs time to bed in. Really? For elite athletes? How much time is time, anyway? How do the Barbarians routinely manage to make an ok fist of it with only a few days and gallons of booze? Sure, time helps hone things and there has been a backroom upheaval. But, come on, England’s defence has been playground stuff at times. It’s been like British Bulldog – helter skelter, knock over who you can while the rest run through you.

The forward pack is in reasonable nick: not dominant which has to be the end-goal but competitive. With Joe Marler retired, Ellis Genge needs to up his game, in the tight and certainly as the guard man at the breakdown. Ollie Chessum’s return will be a boost.

Scrum remains an issue while there is a disquieting air about the centre partnership which is simply not punching to its weight. Compare England with Ireland and Scotland. Andy Farrell’s Lions notebook for centre will have a Celtic hue to it.

The bright and clever display of replacement Fin Smith, firing out a particularly lovely pass to Tom Roebuck, suggests that the Northampton man should have been on the bench throughout autumn. Claims that he got the back line moving more smoothly than Marcus Smith need better evidential back-up than that provided by a tied and battered Japan in opposition. Moving Marcus Smith to full-back to start so as to accommodate two players a la Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie is a no-no with the new regulations on protecting the high-ball catcher.

Steve Borthwick will probably not be indulging in a glass of anything over the Christmas period as that is not his wont. The rest of us can decide whether the England glass is half-full or half-empty. Both options are on the table. The jury is out. But not for much longer. It will be a pivotal Six Nations championship. Borthwick deserves the benefit of the doubt at this juncture. Just.