There is a hope in English rugby that their shock win over Ireland last weekend will be enough to spark the Steve Borthwick era into life, with the performance they produced at Twickenham the most impressive they have managed since their World Cup semi-final victory over New Zealand in 2019.
While they would go on to win the Six Nations the following year, they have been in a downward spiral ever since. The team would fifth, third, and fourth in the last three championships.
They looked as though they could be on course for another below par finish in this year's Six Nations, although the win over Ireland now gives them an outside chance of winning the championship this weekend.
England certainly looked like a different team in that game, playing with the type of intent that we had not previously seen under the current coaching ticket.
Writing for Mail Sport, Clive Woodward suggested that his rallying call ahead of last weekend might have had something to do with the change in intensity.
I wrote before the match that England had next to no chance of victory and that the game was about being competitive against what, in my view, is the best side in the world...
Ahead of this game I wrote that to have any chance against Ireland, England simply had to play with a breakneck speed that would catch their opposition off guard.
They started well. I honestly believe that Borthwick's players had read my pre-match column because they were so quickly out of the blocks.
Those comments have gone down about as well as you might have imagined.
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Rugby: Joe Marler calls out Clive Woodward over England comments
Clive Woodward did an excellent job in guiding England to the World Cup in 2003, although he has done little to add to his CV in the two decades that have followed.
His last coaching job came in charge of the Lions in 2005, with that tour to New Zealand widely regarded to be one of the most disastrous of all-time. Despite this, he remains one of the most prominent voices in English rugby.
That has clearly grated on some. England prop Joe Marler was quick to hint of Woodward's 'dinosaur' status after these latest comments.
— Joe Marler (@JoeMarler) March 12, 2024
Marler came off the bench in Saturday's game, with the 33-year old now nearing a century of England caps. Of course, he also had a fondness for Ireland in his youth.
While Clive Woodward remains a prominent voice in the media, this tweet from Marler perhaps gives an insight as to how he is viewed by those currently involved in the England setup.
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