SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: I’m extremely indignant. These are the FOUR key questions Steve Borthwick and the RFU should reply after unforgivable Italy defeat – or there is no hope!

England’s first defeat by Italy has left me incredibly angry.

Steve Borthwick’s side fully deserved to lose the game. The first thing to say is that everyone will now be looking at the players as the first target for criticism.

My view is clear. It’s not the fault of those who took to the field in Rome yesterday.

England would never have won at the Stadio Olimpico regardless of who was wearing white because the biggest problem is not the personnel. It’s how England are playing that’s the issue.

And let’s be honest, it is now a huge, huge problem. England have lost three matches in a row, performing incredibly poorly in all three.

To be beaten by Italy having never previously lost to them is hugely embarrassing for Borthwick as coach, the national squad and everyone at the RFU.

For a union of the RFU’s financial resource and player pool to be producing performances and results like we’ve seen in this Six Nations is simply not good enough.

Ultimately, when what’s holding back the England team is how they’re playing, the responsibility lies with the coach.

That’s something you have to accept as the man in charge.

As such, Borthwick will now justly come under immense heat. On ITV after the match, Ugo Monye questioned Borthwick’s position. I simply don’t see a way in which the RFU will pull the trigger now, but that is also a huge part of the problem.

The Italy mess left me with four main questions. They are ones either Borthwick or the RFU must answer if this team is to recover.

If they can’t, there is no hope.

1. In the first five minutes of the match, why did England kick the ball away relentlessly? Ben Spencer is a good tactical kicker, but England put boot to ball way, way too often and played right into Italy’s hands.
2. Why did England not compete at the lineout? In the final minute, England were losing the game and on an Italian throw, they didn’t even get a jumper in the air to try and regain possession. Why on earth not? Did they not even want to win the match?
3. Just before the hour mark, Italy kicked the ball out. It was there for England to play quickly, but they did not. Instead, they slowed things down. There was simply no ambition or speed to their game. Why not?
4. Who at the RFU is now remotely qualified to sit down with Borthwick at this time of crisis and ask him what’s going on? Because, let’s be clear, this is now quite clearly a crisis. England have gone from a 12-game winning streak to a shocking run of three straight defeats in this Six Nations. And it’s not just been the results, it’s been the nature of the performances.

The last of those four points is the most important and represents where English rugby has a real problem. There is no one at the RFU who is in any way qualified to discuss rugby matters with Borthwick and hold him to account.

Bill Sweeney, the chief executive, certainly isn’t. Neither is Conor O’Shea, the director of rugby. Borthwick was appointed by Sweeney and other faceless committee members who we’ll never know the identity of. How can that be the case?

Borthwick isn’t going to resign and nor should he. I don’t think the RFU should sack him on the spot after this, either. However, what is urgently needed is for him to sit down with his employers and explain what has gone on. Unfortunately, neither Sweeney nor O’Shea possess the required knowledge to hold his decision-making to account.

That, frankly, is a disgrace to English rugby. If Borthwick is unable to explain what’s gone wrong in this Six Nations, then he should be removed from his position.

What is quite clear is that what Borthwick and England are doing isn’t working.

And the next two games are France and South Africa away!

Against both Scotland and Ireland, they started awfully and simply never recovered.

Any team can have an off-day and perhaps even two. But the Italy loss and nature of the display was unforgiveable. England’s game plan was totally dominated by kicking.

It seems quite clear to me that this approach is dominated by statistics. Yes, it worked in the autumn when England won all four of their matches.

But it is clearly not working now so there has to be a change in approach. If Borthwick can’t enact that then again, the RFU and England must look elsewhere — although doing so less than 18 months out from the next World Cup is clearly not ideal.

That said, New Zealand have just done it, so it’s not totally inconceivable. Of course, the other consideration is, who would take on the job?

It’s all very well looking elsewhere, but is there a natural successor out there who would have an immediate impact on turning around England’s fortunes? I’m not entirely sure there is.

A final word on Italy. As much as England deserved to lose, the Azzurri fully deserved to win and their outstanding centre, Tommaso Menoncello, was player of the match by a country mile.

Italy are nowhere near as good a team as England, but they did everything Borthwick’s side didn’t. They had a solid game plan that suited their players.

It was one that they carried out, to ensure England and the RFU suffered humiliation.

Rome is known for brutal gladiatorial killings and England’s latest loss could yet mean the end of Borthwick’s regime.