The only way is up for England as Borthwick era begins against Scotland

LONDON : England have the perfect opportunity to get their new era under coach Steve Borthwick off to an uplifting start when they host Scotland on Saturday, the first match of a Six Nations draw that has fallen perfectly to begin the revival.

England follow up with a home game against Italy next week and then a trip to Wales. Should they get three wins under their belt they will host holders France with a level of confidence palpably missing from the last two wretched campaigns, before signing off away in Ireland.

An improvement on third and fifth-placed finishes in the last two seasons already looks likely, and with the players at Borthwick's disposal and a new, positive atmosphere in the camp, talk of the title no longer looks fanciful.

After decades of dominating the oldest fixture in international rugby, England have stumbled badly against the Scots in recent years, losing three and drawing one of the last five meetings.

However, there is already a palpable feel of confidence as Borthwick, and his inspirational defence coach Kevin Sinfield, set about "restoring the pride in the shirt and the connection with the fans."

That latter was at breaking point when Twickenham resounded to the rare sound of the hosts being booed off the pitch after they completed a poor November series with a meek defeat by South Africa.

That proved the final straw for the RFU, who promptly sacked Eddie Jones, and one thing that will be guaranteed under the new coaching structure is that the players will be giving their absolute all at every minute.

Jones's obsession with the World Cup, and his constant selectorial whims, eventually filtered through as a message that nothing really mattered before they got to France in September.

Borthwick takes a