We love Bazball and Gazball, now England Rugby needs Borthball

Wow. What a conclusion that was to the opening Ashes Test on Tuesday at Edgbaston between England and Australia. From day one to five it was so entertaining.

England lost but I wasn’t sulking about the result. Instead I was thinking about the opening shot on the first day, Joe Root’s reverse ramp shot for four, and the audacious declaration from captain Ben Stokes. Were you not entertained? Because I was.

When I look at Brendon McCullum, Stokes and Bazball, I see a philosophy of entertainment. As I do when I see Gareth Southgate bring on Jack Grealish after Bukayo Saka has netted one of the great hat-tricks for his country simply to turn up the heat on North Macedonia.

England need excitement

The point is this: winning matters but so does entertainment, and the England football and cricket teams have that in abundance. Moments sometimes mean more than results. Tuesday’s loss in the Ashes didn’t lead to a huge conversation about the result, instead a discussion on the moments that led to it.

Likewise when England were knocked out of the last year’s World Cup against France, plenty of fans simply conceded that their continental neighbours had, on balance, been the better team in the contest.

So what does England rugby coach Steve Borthwick do about the lack of aura his team has with just four games between now and the World Cup?

When England chose to dismiss Eddie Jones I thought it was a bad call. I wouldn’t have employed the Australian in the first place but I do acknowledge that he is one of the best out there when it comes to finding unlikely ways to win under pressure.

Borthwick isn’t Jones and that’s both a good and a bad thing. There were no real shocks when Borthwick added a number of Northampton and Leicester players to his training squad on Monday, and I doubt there will be any big surprises when he announces a training group including Saracens and Sale Sharks next week.

Fear of falling behind

Stokes has barely tampered with his side. Borthwick and his captain Owen Farrell needn’t do it either. Because it is not the quality of the player that has the biggest impact on entertainment value, it’s the philosophy itself.

Look elsewhere, towards Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton in Ireland and Fabien Galthie and Antoine Dupont in France. It’s a philosophical path towards excitement, collaboration and results.

So this summer, with his very capable players, I would like to see Borthwick throw caution to the wind at least once and discover and embrace Borthball; a system of freeing rugby where rugby players can express themselves and ultimately become a collective of stars on the pitch.

International cricket is exciting again and football has become thrilling, so it is time for rugby to do the same. Embrace the unknown and chance an arm. Because boring, inside the box rugby is not winning a World Cup for England this year. It’s as simple as that.

Where there’s a Willis…

I was over the moon to see Jack Willis win the Bouclier de Brennus Top14 trophy at the weekend. He has gone through the ringer with Wasps this year and deserves his prize for sticking with it.

I can see why players are going to France and risking their international careers for their future. The quality of game across the Channel is impeccable and something the rugby world should envy.

Holding the Bouclier de Brennus meant a lot to me as an Englishman in France, and there’s no doubt Jack will feel the same.

Queensholm

The women’s Premier 15s final takes place this weekend and it will be at the newly named Queensholm, instead of Kingsholm.

It’s a smart PR stunt, and the home of Gloucester Rugby will see a new West Country, name on the trophy this season – either Gloucester-Hartpury or Exeter Chiefs.

My hunch is that Exeter sneak it but there’s no use in counting out Gloucester on their home ground in a final.

Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development and behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.