Rugby World Cup 2023: England Must Take ‘Learnings’ Into Quarter-Finals – Steve Borthwick

• Steve Borthwick says England must take ‘learnings’ into quarter-finals.

England head coach Steve Borthwick said his side must take “a lot of learnings” from the narrow win over Samoa into their World Cup quarter-final.

Danny Care’s late try ensured England came from behind in Lille to complete a winning run through the pool stages.

England had already won the group and Borthwick believes they faced a timely challenge in the 18-17 victory.

“It was the kind of test we needed going into [the quarter-finals] next week,” said Borthwick.

“There will be a lot of learnings from it and we will make sure we take them into next week.

“Looking towards next week, what did I want? A really tough test and we got that.

“There [was a lot that didn’t meet] the required standard and for a period there were too many penalties conceded. But then the players got hold of it and found a way to get the result.

“I will look at it in incredible detail and try to capture every learning possible to make sure we are a better team going forward.”

Samoa have never beaten England. but they performed admirably and held a six-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

Borthwick, whose side are expected to face Fiji in the last eight, said the Pacific Islanders deserved “immense credit”.

“I thought Samoa played brilliantly,” said Borthwick. “They talked about it as being their World Cup final and that is exactly how they played.

“They really tested us and forced us into lots of errors. It was a very scrappy performance for long periods and a really tough test.

“We were put under enormous pressure and there were parts not of the required standard. Now we have got to recover and as of Monday we will go into a week which we are very excited about.”

‘An incredible role model’

Owen Farrell became England’s all-time leading points scorer, breaking Jonny Wilkinson’s 12-year record with a first half-penalty.

Farrell, who was moved to inside centre with George Ford deployed at fly-half, was far from his best and also became the first man in World Cup history to be timed out on the ‘shot clock’ as he prepared to kick a third penalty.

But Borthwick said his captain is an “incredible role model” after surpassing Wilkinson’s tally of 1,179 points.

Borthwick added: “It’s testament to a man who has dedicated himself to be the very best he can be – the best player, the best leader, the best person around the squad.

“He has had an impact on so many young lives and it’s a privilege for me as a coach to work with him. Hopefully he will play many more times in an England shirt.”

Farrell, who took his England tally to 1,186 since making his Test debut in 2012, was presented with a gift by his team-mates to mark the occasion.

“I’ve not got too many thoughts,” said Farrell.

“The lads have just given me a nice presentation, which was nice, but my focus will be on us [as a team] over the next few days.

“But it is a huge honour. They gave me a framed picture and a gift.”