“It’s not necessarily how we wish to play, but there are two teams out there and we found a way to win,” said Borthwick, who revealed that George Furbank is unlikely to play in the Championship because of his broken arm.
Boos rang out at Allianz Stadium at the sight of scrum-half Alex Mitchell launching another box kick into the air early in the second half of an encounter which Borthwick’s team lost 3-1 on the try count.
“I’ve been very clear that I want the team to play with ball in hand, to attack with it, to be brave and aggressive, but there is another team trying to stop you – and they’re pretty good at it.
England’s second win of the Six Nations was founded on a courageous shift in defence that saw them make 206 tackles to Scotland’s 91, although they missed a further 35.
When the Scots cut loose in the opening half-hour England were all at sea, but Borthwick was impressed by the commitment of his players, who have now produced successive one-point wins having previously lost seven in a row against top-tier opposition by narrow margins.
