That is the opinion of Mike Tindall, who thinks today’s fixture will carry huge repercussions regardless.
Speaking to the In The Zone podcast, Tindall stressed the importance of the symbolism of a victory in securing Borthwick’s role for the long term.
He said: “It’s very hard to have a transition period because you’re in an international job, and if you want to keep it for a long time, you have to win games!
“I always say performance should trump the victory, so if you perform to the best of your abilities and then you still fall short, at least you can say you gave it everything. The worst losses are when you try to minimise mistakes and you still lose.
“If you look at the levels of these England players and what they are capable of, players are playing exceptionally well at their clubs and it is about transferring that to the England team. If they can all play to one goal with one style, then you can be successful.
“For example, Henry Slade is playing incredibly well for Exeter but his form for England is flattering to deceive. And this is not just specific to rugby, because other players in other sports can struggle with the same problem. Is that the player struggling to adapt to the way England play, or is that England struggling to adapt to how the player plays?
“The biggest question at the moment is finding ways for the players to enjoy what they are doing and getting the best out of them on the field. Without that, it doesn’t matter who you pick on the field.”