For England, at last, there is hope. But now a familiar face awaits their arrival this summer to challenge the next stage of a revival that must continue beyond their thrilling Six Nations resurrection.
The question Steve Borthwick’s men faced at the weekend was whether they could back up their stunning win over Ireland when they travelled to Lyon to face France. Although England lost, this was a performance that showed they truly have turned the corner.
The next questions will now be posed by Japan and New Zealand on the team’s summer tour. In Tokyo, their wily old head coach Eddie Jones will relish the chance to test just how far his former team have progressed when they face his current one in June.
Then England have the even greater challenge of the All Blacks, a side that lost the World Cup final by a point.
Tough though it is to drag your body up to play an international series at the end of a long season, England must perform. They have to show the same intent, and inspiration, to remove any doubt this team really are moving forward.
They certainly did that against France as both sides put on a display that belied some of their earlier efforts during the Six Nations.
England, on the back of a confidence-building victory against Ireland, again found a massively improved performance when compared to how they started the tournament.
France, similarly, had a tough Six Nations, having struggled to get going after being dismantled by Ireland on the opening weekend.
Ireland may have clinched the title earlier in the day to deny these teams a shot at it, but this did not lessen the ferocity of the contest. England and France went at it from the off and created a wonderful Six Nations bookend.
This does look like the turning point that all outside the England camp have been hoping for and those within it have always been believing they were capable of.
After Ben Earl’s comments the previous week about the players’ reaction to criticism, there was concern the Irish contest was a one-off, a match driven by emotional circumstance and situational frustration. But the France game has given hope to both those in and outside of the set-up.
If they can continue on this path then younger players such as Ollie Chessum, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank have the ability to grow into hugely important members of the team.
England may still not be a perfectly running machine but it looks as though they are being put back together piece by piece.
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