2026 Six Nations: Can England end horror campaign on a high against Championship contenders France?
Last chance saloon for Borthwick at Stade de France?
English rugby fans have been on a rollercoaster over the past 12 months, a period during which they saw their side come agonisingly close to winning the 2025 Six Nations title before going on a stunning 12-match win streak, beating the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina in the Quilter Nations series.
However, after a bright start to 2026, which saw them dismantle Wales 48-7 at Twickenham in their Six Nations opener, England’s form has taken a massive downturn, as they now prepare to enter the final week of the Championship hoping to snap a three-match losing streak.
It began with a 31-20 defeat in the Calcutta Cup, which confirmed our Six Nations predictions, followed by a 42-21 drubbing at home against Ireland. However, the most painful result came last week at the Stadio Olimpico, when the Red Rose lost 23-18 to Italy - their first-ever defeat to Gli Azzurri.
This run of results has heaped pressure on Steve Borthwick, and many feel that if his side is taken apart by Les Bleues at Stade de France this weekend, it could spell the end for the 46-year-old’s tenure as head coach of the English national team.
England’s performance in this year’s Six Nations is justified when looking at the stats. Their disciplinary record is the worst in the Championship (7 yellows, 1 red), and they have the second-worst points per entry in the 22, despite having made the second-most attacking entries.
Despite those figures, Borthwick surprised many by only announcing one change to his squad for this weekend, and based on his selection, it’s clear that the head coach is putting all his eggs in one basket - continuing to lean on the team’s kicking game. However, the question remains: has he wasted the chance to change things up?
Six Nations 2026: Final week permutations
While England are out of title contention, there is still a chance that they could leave the 2026 Championship with the Wooden Spoon. However, that would require a couple of astonishing outcomes to come to fruition.
Indeed, the Red Rose are just five points above bottom side Wales, meaning that if they lose to France without a bonus point and the Dragons pick up a bonus-point victory over Italy in Cardiff, England and Wales would end the competition level on six points each.
However, the saving grace for Borthwick and co is that they have a +4 points differential while Wales are on -96, meaning that there would need to be a 100-point swing for the Welsh to overtake England and condemn them to their first Wooden Spoon finish in the Six Nations era.
At the top of the table, France and Scotland enter the final round with 16 points apiece, but Les Bleues have a significantly better points difference (+79) compared to the Scots (+21). Therefore, a bonus-point victory for France will all but guarantee their title defence.
The key match of the weekend will come from the Aviva Stadium, where Ireland will host Scotland. The Irish are still in with a shot of clinching the title, as they are two points behind the league leaders, meaning a win for them in this match, and if France loses to England, Ireland would be crowned champions.
Given the points difference between the top two teams, Scotland’s hopes are likely to hinge on England pulling off an upset in Saint-Denis. However, if they can notch up a bonus-point victory and France fail to do likewise against England, Scotland will win their first-ever Six Nations title.
