sport news This will be a new England: free, energetic, and willing to take risks: SIX ... trends now

Rugby is in a state of turmoil, with new tackle-height laws, financial trouble, the spectre of concussions and dementia and a series of governance scandals.

In the midst of the chaos, the Six Nations kicks off next weekend and many hope it can alleviate the gloom. With the world’s top-two ranked teams — Ireland and France — involved, new regimes at England and Wales and signs of an overdue Italian revival, it promises to be enthralling.

Sportsmail columnists Sir Clive Woodward and Danny Cipriani join rugby correspondent Chris Foy to set the scene.

Chris Foy: What do you expect from England in this new, post-Eddie Jones era?

Danny Cipriani: I feel the difference will be considerable. I don’t necessarily think it is going to change their place in the table, because France and Ireland will take a lot of beating, but there should be a big change in terms of the energy and connectivity you will see. They will be willing to take risks but also have a clear directive of how to play. It will be the most authentic version of England in the last six or seven years.

Foy: So is there a good team in there waiting to get out?

Sir Clive Woodward: Yes, and it is often exaggerated how long it takes to create a good team — as a coach, you need three or four games. This is a perfect situation for Steve Borthwick. There are low expectations after the autumn and he has two home games first.

I’m confident England will beat Scotland in that first game. As Danny said, I think we will see growth in their attack, but they have to get the scrum and lineout right as a priority. If they do that, fast, anything is possible.

Cipriani: It feels like Borthwick has inherited a really good group of players. Now the coaches just need to connect the dots. They need to give the players the freedom to make their own decisions. They will make mistakes but I think they can become connected quickly with the players they have.

Woodward: To be a really top team, they have to play quickly. If they get the right back row on the field, they can do that. I am fascinated to see what team Borthwick picks for his first game because that will tell us so much about how he wants England to play. Let’s end this talk of starters and finishers that Eddie Jones brought in. It’s not a game for 23 players, it’s a game for 15.

Foy: Danny, would you be confident about being able to dictate the game if you were playing at 10 behind the likely England pack? Do they have the firepower up front to compete or dominate?

Cipriani: Definitely. There is phenomenal potential in that pack and they can build a platform for the backs to express themselves. That doesn’t mean delivering the coach’s message — it’s about understanding that message, then having the freedom with how it is implemented. That will be the mindset that England’s attack coach Nick Evans promotes.

Woodward: I would try to wind up the stalwarts of that England pack such as Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler and Maro Itoje, saying: ‘You have been questioned, big time. Put behind you getting smashed up front by South Africa, are you going to deliver? We need you back to your absolute best. You have got a lot of caps now and we expect you to be playing really well. We need the scrum and lineout to be dominant and I need you three to step up to the plate. Do that and we win.’

Foy: Clive, does the fact that Borthwick brought in Nick Evans suggest England might be slightly adventurous and not just endlessly pragmatic?

Woodward: Borthwick has no ego and he is just thinking: ‘I want to get the best people with me.’ There’s no doubt Evans is in that category because of the way he has Harlequins playing. They take risks. If England adopt the same attitude, on the back of a strong set piece and quick ball, they can be flying after just a few games. It will be fascinating.

Cipriani: By bringing in Evans and Kevin Sinfield, Borthwick has shown phenomenal humility. Sinfield is going to bring everything he says on the tin. His physicality, his life experiences, his ability to overcome, keep going and striving for the top as a defence coach. He can be like Shaun Edwards and you need someone like that in a team.

Woodward: Borthwick has done a better job than me because I tried to sign Kevin Sinfield as a player and it didn’t happen. We met and he sat just staring at me! I talked about how Jason Robinson was coming across from league and I wanted him to come too. I was saying: ‘It will be great. Let’s go.’ But he said no. He was very polite and friendly, but he just didn’t want to leave league then.

Foy: When was that?

Woodward: In the late Nineties.

Foy: Where did you meet?

Woodward: Oh, I can’t remember. It was somewhere up north.

Cipriani: That’s such a southerner comment!

Foy: Steve Borthwick will face lots of dilemmas when choosing his team, but the selections at 10, 12 and 13 will be significant and intriguing. Who should he pick?

Woodward: I have said for years that it has to be a choice between Owen Farrell or Marcus Smith at fly-half, and for now it has to be Farrell. He is world-class at 10 and he is not a genuine 12.

If Manu Tuilagi is 90 per cent fit, he should start there, but I hope Nick Evans can get more out of him. People say he is a ball-carrier but I hate that term. Tuilagi should be more than that. The crowd roar as they see him crashing into people, but I want him to develop the way Ma’a Nonu did for the All

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