Can England's Attack Win Them the Six Nations Title in 2026? A Three-Year Evolution
Rewind to Three Years Ago: England's rugby team was struggling, with an attack that was effectively the worst in the top tier of Test rugby. Steve Borthwick, appointed as head coach with just nine months to prepare for the Rugby World Cup, opted for a conservative approach: kicking high, long, and often, while limiting mistakes. This strategy almost secured successive World Cup finals, but it often left supporters bored.
England's limitations were such that an Italy side, ranked 12th in the world in 2023, scored more tries across the year, despite playing three fewer matches. It was as if England had lost the keys to a car locked in the garage.
The following year, a transitional team continued to struggle, losing seven of 12 Tests and making only modest gains.
But then, in 2025, something remarkable happened. England's attack evolved into a dynamic and varied force. Only the back-to-back world champions, South Africa, scored more tries, and Opta data showed a drastic improvement compared to every other Tier 1 nation.
This newfound ambition was the foundation of a successful year. England won a series in Argentina with a depleted squad and defeated New Zealand for just the ninth time in their 120-year rivalry, all part of an unbeaten autumn.
England's current run of 11 wins is their longest in nearly a decade. Since the Edinburgh defeat two years ago, annual gains have been boosted by the arrival of Lee Blackett, the mastermind behind Bath's backline, which scored an unrivaled 102 tries on their way to winning last year's Premiership.
Blackett was seconded for the tour of Argentina last summer with a brief to 'remould' England's attack. Despite the absence of 15 senior players on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, England secured a 2-0 series win. Blackett was then appointed attack coach permanently in September.
A clean sweep of the autumn followed, including the exhilarating win against New Zealand. In the early days of Borthwick's reign, attacking platforms were often wasted by inaccurate kicks. England was statistically the worst of all Tier 1 sides at turning clear opportunities into tries, converting just 28% of their chances.
However, in 2025, only South Africa and France were more effective at scoring from a line-break, with England's completion rate rising to 43%.
'Blackett is really good at giving players confidence to take risks,' said Ashton. 'You need a coach who's encouraging you to score tries.'
But here's where it gets controversial... Is England's attack now the best in the Six Nations? Can they sustain this form throughout the 2026 tournament? And what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
