Instead of bringing on Harry Randall, Borthwick backed Alex Mitchell to play a full 80 minutes, something he hasn’t allowed any scrum-half to do since Mitchell last did it during England’s tour of New Zealand.
Mitchell says that in an odd way it has helped that he missed all four autumn Tests, including the three narrow defeats by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, because it meant he felt like he was able to bring impetus to the team.
Things always run smoother when a team knows who the starting No 9 is, and for Borthwick’s England it’s undoubtedly Mitchell.
I think the last five, six games we’ve come really close and just not got the right side of a result, now we’ve finally done that.
“I was still around, always speaking to the coaches and talking to the boys, but I think when you come back in after you’ve not been involved, you’ve got fresher legs and a new energy about you.
