Rugby-England being written off too soon, says Borthwick

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Ireland v England - World Cup warm-up - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland - August 19, 2023 England head coach Steve Borthwick before the match REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

(Reuters) - England coach Steve Borthwick said his team have been written off too soon before the Rugby World Cup after a dire run of results in the build-up to the tournament in France.

Borthwick, who took over from Eddie Jones in December, has lost six of his nine games in charge, overseeing a 53-10 thrashing by France in March and England's first ever loss to Fiji in their final World Cup warm-up last month.