England headed to the 2023 Rugby World Cup as a side worlds away from the one that stormed to the 2019 final in Japan.
The Steve Borthwick era is in its infancy, but the former Leicester Tigers coach was already feeling the heat after winning just three of his first nine matches after replacing Eddie Jones.
However, a run of five consecutive victories in France saw them plot a path to the semifinals.
First up was a devilishly tough Pool D opener against Argentina and England could scarcely have got off to a worse start as Tom Curry was red carded on review within three minutes.
But in the absence of suspended captain Owen Farrell, George Ford produced a masterclass from fly-half, kicking all of 14-man England's points in a 27-10 victory, including a first-half hat-trick of drop goals.
Second-half tries from Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and Joe Marchant added gloss to a largely scrappy 34-12 win over Japan and, after the formality of a 71-0 demolition of outsiders Chile when Henry Arundell helped himself to five tries, Borthwick's men were unconvincing and needed Danny Care's 73rd-minute score from the base of the scrum to eek out an 18-17 against Samoa.
The Marseille quarterfinal against Fiji carried no small amount of trepidation given the Pacific Islanders had stunned Twickenham with a deserved 30-22 win in August.
With captain Farrell back at the helm and the livewire Marcus Smith included at fullback, England produced their most free-flowing display of the Borthwick era as Manu Tuilagi and Marchant went over inside the first half hour.
Fiji battled back from 24-10 down with a pair of converted tries to level the match and set up a gripping finale. England and their skipper held their nerve, with Farrell dispatching a drop goal and a late penalty on the back of Ben Earl's stunning break to book an unlikely semifinal berth.
A rematch of the 2019 final awaited England in the semi's, and Steve Borthwick's side produced their best performance of the tournament so far. Despite leading 15-6 going into the final quarter, a late Springbok fightback saw the reigning champions score a late try, and Handre Pollard's penalty two minutes from time saw their World Cup hopes dashed.
England can still finish in third place though, and will take on Argentina in the Bronze final hoping to do just that.
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England Rugby Union fixtures 2023
| Opponent | Date | Venue | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Oct 27, 2023 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | Rugby World Cup 2023 |
England Rugby Union results 2023
| Opponent | Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland (H) | Feb 4, 2023 | 23-29 L | 2023 Six Nations |
| Italy (H) | Feb 12, 2023 | 31-14 W | 2023 Six Nations |
| Wales (A) | Feb 25, 2023 | 10-20 W | 2023 Six Nations |
| France (H) | Mar 11, 2023 | 10-53 L | 2023 Six Nations |
| Ireland (A) | Mar 18, 2023 | 29-16 L | 2023 Six Nations |
| Wales (A) | Aug 5, 2023 | 20-9 L | RWC2023 warm-up |
| Wales (H) | Aug 12, 2023 | 19-17 W | RWC2023 warm-up |
| Ireland (A) | Aug 19, 2023 | 29-10 L | RWC2023 warm-up |
| Fiji (H) | Aug 26, 2023 | 22-30 L | RWC2023 warm-up |
| Argentina | Sept 9, 2023 | 27-10 W | Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool D |
| Japan | Sept 17, 2023 | 34-12 W | Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool D |
| Chile | Sept 23, 2023 | 71-0 W | Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool D |
| Samoa | Oct 7, 2023 | 18-17 W | Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool D |
| Fiji | Oct 15, 2023 | 30-24 W | Rugby World Cup 2023 Quarterfinal |
| South Africa | Oct 21, 2023 | 16-15 L | Rugby World Cup 2023 Semifinal |
How did England fare in the 2023 Six Nations?
Borthwick's debut campaign in charge of England began with a closely-fought 29-23 defeat to Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham, meaning a third straight loss to the auld enemy for the first time since 1972.
England recorded victories against bottom sides Italy and Wales in their next two games, but were on the end of a record 53-10 hiding by France at Twickenham.
Reeling from the third-biggest defeat in their history, England travelled to Dublin and fought hard in a 29-16 loss to end their campaign with just two wins and 10 points as Ireland claimed the Grand Slam.
This list will be updated as England's results over the course of the year are confirmed, including potential Rugby World Cup 2023 knockout matches.
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