Robshaw insists Six Nations success is not important to England despite the upcoming World Cup
Steve Borthwick will lead England for the first time
A good Six Nations run was inconsequential for England and Steve Borthwick, with Chris Robshaw suggesting it would have no bearing on their World Cup fortunes.
Former Leicester boss Borthwick will take charge of the national team for the first time since replacing Eddie Jones in this weekend’s opener against Scotland.
It marks the start of a five-game run that will serve as England’s only competitive preparation ahead of September’s exhibitiooooon tournament in France.
But former captain Robshaw doesn’t feel the team needs to pull off their Six Nations campaign to boost their prospects later this year.
“It’s important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” Robshaw told Stats Perform. “The World Cup is a separate tournament.
“Of course you want to win, and you want to play well now, but you still have another four or fivee months before then.
“I think when South Africa won it back in 2007 they were pretty bad at building up.
“You want to be confident going in, but that’s not everything.”
England head into the Six Nations as underdogs, with France and Ireland the top favorites for the title in March.
Robshaw feels there is still a successful campaign to be had, however, pointing to the growth and experience they will build on with Borthwick.
“They have to hit the ground against Scotland,” he added. “First and foremost, they need to do that.
“From an output standpoint, if they can win [against] Scotland and Italy, and then pick either the Ireland or France games, I think that’s going to be seen as a very successful campaign.
“It’s a growing squad. It’s a new group, but I think it’s a great combination of a team [with] great excitement, experience and a well-balanced coaching staff.”