Steve Borthwick was completing his press conference in the Stuart room in Pennyhill Park, when a French journalist beat the crowd with a final question. 'Steve, do you like the sad period with bad results?' He asked, with the accent of a man who had just shot from the champions. 'Are your nights good? Do you sleep well?
It was a question that crossed all England selection settings. Little interest in rays with the Smiths, promoting end to 10 and Marcus at 15. Only an enchanted reminder that England is walking towards the jaws of a French team that could inflict its eighth defeat in 10 tests.
'They have never asked me that question: are your nights good?' Borthwick said, laughing for the change in tone. 'Are my nights good? I am sure that all English journalists in the room will share my feeling of periods of emotion about the way the team is trying to play and the positions in which they are getting into. And then the frustration for letting things slide in the key moments and the disappointment for losing many games very little.
'There are always expectations. In any of the main English sports, there is the expectation of winning. Cricket, football, rugby. There are expectations and when you take the job, wait for that expectation. I prefer to be involved with a team that has expectation than one that does not.
'We are in a period in which we have a team that is growing and growing fast. We are constantly playing against the best sides in the world. Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France. So we are being tested every week. And we have fallen short, we know it. The players go to the field trying to bring their best game. Everyone can see that and recognize that they go to the field with the intention of playing positive attacking rugby, which will be an English rugby strength in the future.
This weekend, Borthwick expects his double player game to be the lighting bar that turns positive into the rugby into the winning rugby. End to the facilitator and Marcus the Magician. The hope is that I can bring a firm hand to the Jersey No 10, allowing Marcus to hook himself on the long kicks of the registered brand of France and capitalize the open and open spaces.
Marcus Smith will move to full-back to allow England to present two games creators against France
In No 10 Smith is end, which has only 122 minutes of international experience so far in England
England coach Steve Borthwick insists that he can handle national work pressure
“If you look at the way Marcus plays, particularly in those unstructured situations, you see how dangerous it is,” said Borthwick. 'If you give him time and space, he can hurt the opposition. You saw in Ireland on Saturday, and particularly in that first half, the growing nature of the game is that the players flood and try to keep the ball alive. And that is certainly something we are working on and having Marcus there at age 15, potentially with a little more space.
'He is a game change. He is a player who can do things that very few of the world players can do. And I want you to bring all those natural instincts to the field in a shirt in England. Now, whether it begins with number 10 or number 15 on your back, nothing changes. I want those natural instincts in the field. He sees space that other players. It has the ability to find gaps on the defenses that most people do not know they are there. And that is exactly what I want me to bring this weekend.
With four Northampton players named in the background, Borthwick hopes that the familiarity of the connections of his club will relieve the end transition to the initial team. France has appointed a team loaded with ball transport threats, including the support of 145 Kg Uini Atonio, and the Saints games creator has been supported to bring its defensive resolution to the background line.
“You could talk a lot about end distribution skills, which are excellent,” Borthwick said. 'His kick game is really very, very precise. Earlier this season, we had an end in 30 tacle in a game for Northampton. He tells you a lot about personality: it's hard, it's brave. When players see a half of the fly willing to defend themselves, they have immense respect for him. So we can talk about those different skills sets, which he certainly has, is an elite player, but he is also a very hard and brave young man.
'France is probably the best side in the world to be able to attack with force and create a tight impulse. Your download game, go through tacle and then download after the Tackle is very good. That then has the ability to put the tight defenders. And then I think they are very strong to make the ball wide, very fast. And the fastest way they do is Antoine Dupont taking those cross shots from both feet. That raises a real challenge to be able to deal with that physical challenge in the center of the field.
England Captain Maro Iitoje (Second Right) issues a shout of recovery to his team during training
Sarracens no 8 Tom Willis has been promoted to the initial team instead of Ben Curry
Antoine Dupont de France is one of the best scrum halts that the game has ever played
Freddie Steward, who was the back full in Dublin's defeat, has retired from day 23. Borthwick has opted for the speed of Ollie Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman to contain the rapid threats of Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Barrey. Elliot Daly has assumed the role of coverage of the public service fund line, offering an experienced security blanket if England is looking at the cannon of another bad result.
Saracens No 8 Tom Willis has been promoted to the initial team instead of Ben Curry, forming another combination of family clubs with Ben Earl. England identified that France has mutilated 50 percent of its linen and Willis's weight could help interrupt its impulse from the piece. Jamie George will also be available to provide reinforcements from the bank.
But the greatest and most impossible work will be to have a Dupont management. The Superstar of the Middle Scrum is one of the best to play the game and Maro Iteje did everything possible to humanize the number 9 when Borthwick took over in the hot seat of the Stuart room. “I don't think any of us is looking at it with amazement,” heoje insisted. 'Obviously it is a GR … He is a good player, he is one of the many good players in his team. '
It is the type of challenge that could leave the team of England with some more insomnia nights.