"We'll enjoy tonight" – 5 Talking Points: Steve Borthwick and Maro Itoje react to England's dramatic Six Nations win against France

Yesterday at 03:36 PM

England are off the mark in the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, as Steve Borthwick’s side battled to a dramatic victory over France. England had their back against the wall for the final five minutes, as France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossed over for a try in the corner. However, England rolled the dice for one last attack and replacement back Elliot Daly saved the day with a last minute try, before Fin Smith’s conversion sealed the 26-25 triumph.

England head coach Steve Borthwick was flanked by his captain Maro Itoje for their post-match media duties, with the duo facing the media on the emotional highs of cloud nine. Itoje and Borthwick were both delighted to have their long awaited win against tier one opponents under their belts, with the side looking to have turned a corner following the roller coaster of a win.

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

5 TALKING POINTS: ENGLAND 26-25 FRANCE – 2025 GUINNESS MEN’S SIX NATIONS

1. Itoje opens up on England’s mindset following late French try

England captain Itoje expressed his mindset for the final five minutes of the match, as he had to rally his side for their last ditch push to victory. The lock explained how in a Test match, five minutes is far longer than it seems, as England were able to play their faces and unleash Elliot Daly to lift the roof of the Allianz Stadium.

MARO ITOJE: “Five minutes in some ways seems like not a long time, but it actually is. The ambition and mindset was just to go after the win and be aggressive. We were close enough to win – we knew we needed a score – and credit to the team, the boys, who were brave and wanting to attack, wanting to go after France. I was very happy that we were able to do it.”

2. Steve Borthwick calls upon Sir Clive Woodward teachings that took England to victory

Steve Borthwick was asked how he felt when his side had their backs pinned to the wall, as Biellie-Biarrey crossed over in a late hammer blow. It seemed like a mirror image of the Autumn Series defeat to the Wallabies, however England had an extra five minutes to spare having come undone in the last play against Australia. Borthwick called upon some fine words of wisdom from Sir Clive Woodward, which helped get his side over the line once more for the win.

STEVE BORTHWICK: “In an ideal world, for every England supporter, we’d have won the game a lot earlier. I think everyone would have liked that. I always remember, as a player, and a number of times I heard him say it, Clive Woodward would always say, ‘it only takes 30 seconds to score a try. 30 seconds to score a try’. I’ve talked about that with Hilly and we’ve talked about that with the team as well. I was really pleased watching the composure at the end.

“It’s a team that’s growing. We’d all like everything to just suddenly be perfect. A team to suddenly be perfect. But that’s not the way teams build. The way this team’s building over the last six, eight months, it’s a team with a whole lot of potential. The ceiling for this team is very, very high. And unfortunately, you take some pain along the way when you’re building a team.

“What we’ve done is stayed true to the process of just trying to get better each day. And that’s what we’ll do again after this game. We’ll review it properly. We’ll enjoy tonight. We’ll make sure of that because it’s always important. Enjoy tonight. And tomorrow, I’ll get on with the review and thoroughly start looking at Scotland and how we’re going to play against them.”

3. Plenty of praise for Fin Smith and Tom Willis who both star on their first England starts

There were two players in the England squad who enjoyed their first Test starts this evening at the Allianz, with one admittedly being of a higher profile than the other. The spotlight was firmly on Fin Smith for the latest installment of ‘Le Crunch’, as the Northampton Saints man slotted the match-winning conversion, to seal a famous win on only his seventh England cap.

There was also a first England start for Saracens back row Tom Willis, who slotted into the eight shirt for a maiden run-out from the off. Willis partnered up alongside his StoneX running mate Ben Earl, before the bruiser was replaced by Ben Curry, in a fine outing from Willis. Speaking on his two new England starters who stepped up in the high stakes match, Borthwick said;

STEVE BORTHWICK: “I thought he played very well. Great composure. And I thought that you could see the cohesion factor between him and Alex Mitchell. I thought Tom Willis, also on his first start for England, did really well. You could see the way he played with Ben Earl [club mate] and that was a real strength.”

“I’m just delighted for the players. If you’re asking me about selections, I pick what the best team is and encourage the players to go out and play. And I was delighted with them because they kept trying to score tries today. I’ve said many times now that I think the point difference of this team is going to be the way they move the ball and their attack. They’ve got to keep believing in themselves. I don’t know how many times to say it, but how much trust, faith, confidence I have in this group of players. How good I think they can be.”

4. “Filling up the pubs” – Borthwick glad to send the England fans out happy into TW2

Residents of Twickenham and Richmond borough could well be in for a long night, with the England fans out to paint the town as red as the English rose after such an important win. Borthwick is delighted to be putting smiles on faces at the Allianz Stadium once again, after the difficult Autumn Nations Series saw England fans slump out of the stadium following three consecutive defeats. Whilst England still have a long way to go before any silverware is won, Borthwick thinks it’s only right for the fans to enjoy the win.

STEVE BORTHWICK: “I’ll say again, I’m really proud of them. I’ve been proud of them after every game because they work exceptionally hard. Now, what’s the difference today? I’m delighted for them that they’ve got a win and I’m delighted for the England supporters. Hopefully now they’re filling up the pubs of South West London, having a good time and enjoying being in their living rooms and jumping up and down on sofas all across England. I’m delighted for them.”

5. Finishers, not replacements – England bench stars to carry side home to a memorable win

The plaudits for England’s win will be bestowed upon Elliot Daly’s try, with the Saracen exploding off the bench for an immediate and enormous impact. Whilst Daly will take the pats on the back for the crucial try, there is no denying the second half lift that the England bench brought on as a collective, with Ben Curry, Jamie George and Fin Baxter all contributing key moments to the overall success.

STEVE BORTHWICK: “I thought today that we had real impact off the bench. Ben Curry came on and ran so hard. What else was different was that experience which came on; the way Jamie George and Elliot Daly came on and added. Between themselves, they rose our caps by about 170 and they increased our average age of a team by nearly [incomprehensible] years. They certainly brought all that intelligence and experience onto the grass.”

The post “We’ll enjoy tonight” – 5 Talking Points: Steve Borthwick and Maro Itoje react to England’s dramatic Six Nations win against France appeared first on Ruck.