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There can rarely, if ever, have been as little optimism leading into an England Rugby World Cup campaign as this one. Such has been their unconvincing performances in the run-up that there is genuine concern over whether Steve Borthwick\u2019s men will make it out of the group stages.<\/p>\n
At times it has looked a 50\/50 shout whether they can even tie their bootlaces successfully.<\/p>\n
There is, though, a life raft storm-tossed England can cling to as they embark on their World Cup mission against Argentina tonight.<\/p>\n
Sometimes as a coach, for all the assets you possess, your greatest asset is luck and Borthwick has been handed a chunky slice of it for France \u201823 in the shape of the tournament\u2019s ridiculously unbalanced draw.<\/p>\n
Wretched though they have been in the summer warm-ups and blighted they might still be by the suspension of Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, a navigable route through to the semi-final has landed in their laps.<\/p>\n
Even if they lose tonight, the absurdity of a draw staged as far back as December 2020 by World Rugby for somewhat hazy \u2018logistical reasons\u2019 means that they could still very well make the last four.<\/p>\n
England are currently ranked No 8 in the world – the joint lowest in their history – but Argentina, at No 6, are the only side in Pool D above them.<\/p>\n
The best of the rest is Samoa in 12th followed by Japan 14th and Chile at 22.<\/p>\n
Rankings-wise, it is one of the weakest groups ever assembled at a World Cup.<\/p>\n
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Make it out of it and England earn themselves a winnable quarterfinal against either Wales or Australia – who are both ranked below them – or World No 7 Fiji who beat them in their last warm-up match but have just seen their playmaker Caleb Muntz invalided out of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
So it is quite possible England could reach the last four without ever encountering one of the tournament heavyweights.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t right but, hey, beggars can\u2019t be choosers.<\/p>\n
A semi-final spot should be the base requirement for a rugby country of England\u2019s resources.<\/p>\n
It looked a dead-cert after England became the youngest side in the professional era to reach a World Cup final four years ago.<\/p>\n
But the expected kick-on never came to pass and they regressed to the point where the RFU felt compelled to axe Eddie Jones nine months out from the World Cup and hand Borthwick his first international head coaching position instead.<\/p>\n
Borthwick made the observation that England weren\u2019t good at anything when he took over. Well, now they are worse.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bor-ball\u2019 rugby has been dreary and the results awful. You have to go back to the 1980s for a permanent England coach with a worse win ratio.<\/p>\n
England still have good players at their disposal but the collective looks lost, desperately short on confidence after five losses in six Tests.<\/p>\n
Jonny May talked of a sense of the vultures circling around England at their Le Touquet base this week. Too right. They have their napkins tied around their necks and knives and forks at the ready.<\/p>\n
So it is time for some defiance at the very least. It is almost certainly asking too much of a Borthwick side to come up with the sort of rugby that will have the nation on its feet at this tournament but something, anything would do in the circumstances. They have to find a way out of this darkness.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s fortuitous route offers them the chance to do just that. It is down to them to make the most of it.<\/p>\n