A lack of precision in the opposition’s 22m and too many fouls cost England their 20-9 loss to Wales on Saturday in their preparation for the Rugby World Cup, according to coach Steve Borthwick, who, however, drew some positives from this setback. England were leading 9-6 at half-time and should have been more in the lead thanks to numerous forays into the Welsh 22m, but handballs (16 in the game), bad decisions or inaccuracy on set pieces left Cardiff empty-handed.
Borthwick will choose their final 33-man World Cup roster on Monday and will have to think a lot before then, having given several players a chance to claim a place in the squad. “In the first half, we created a lot of chances, but we gave too many balls in the opponent’s 22m, which is not possible in a test match,” Borthwick told Amazon Prime. “There are points to improve, but the positive point is the number of entries into the opponent’s scoring area.” England looked to be the better team in the first half, except for their lack of discipline in possession, but when Wales came up in intensity in the second half, the visitors inexplicably went down. foot.
“You have to recognize that Wales were very, very good during those 50 to 65 minutes,” Borthwick admits. “Each of these experiences will be positive for us as we prepare for the World Cup in the coming weeks.” The two sides meet next Saturday for a second warm-up match at Twickenham, before England travel to Ireland on August 19 and host Fiji a week later, ahead of the World Cup which kicks off in France on August 19. September 8.
