LONDON - In one thrilling, memorable afternoon at Twickenham, Steve Borthwick finally made the connection with England's fans that he had been seeking since he took over and also cast off the idea that he is a data-driven highly conservative coach.

Borthwick's England took the most pragmatic route to get within two minutes of reaching the World Cup final last year and though he subsequently talked about "layering on" new ways to attack, there was precious little evidence of it in the early rounds of the Six Nations.