Fin Smith admits England must urgently stamp out their discipline problems if they are to fulfil their aspiration of becoming a major force on the world stage.
Steve Borthwick’s team lifted their total of yellow cards for 2026 to 15 in eight Tests after being shown four more in Saturday’s chaotic 31-24 victory over Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
They also lost the penalty count 15-6 and conceded a penalty try yet, despite the second-half meltdown that twice left them playing with 13 men, they had the resolve to deliver a triumphant climax to their July tour.
Head coach Borthwick responded to questioning of England’s difficulties keeping players on the pitch by hitting back at the “negativity committee”, but Smith concedes it is a failing that must be addressed.
“It’s still the whole discipline thing, I’m not quite sure how we get to the bottom of that,” the Northampton fly-half said.
“It’s frustrating because we’re a very good team when we have 15 men on the pitch, but for the last five or six games I’ve played for England I reckon I’ve spent at least 25-30 per cent of the game without that.
“That’s always challenging because then you’re just trying to defend your own try line pretty much and we’re not allowing ourselves to show the best of us.
“It’s probably a 50-50 balance between people just not doing stupid things and also when you’re under pressure you give away penalties and they stack up into cards.
“A lot of the yellows we got against Argentina were compounded by penalties in our own 22, so we should probably be getting out of there a bit better, defending our try-line and not letting opposition in.
“But then there’s also a little bit of personal responsibility to not keep doing stuff that gets you pinned.”
England end the first phase of the Nations Championship with two wins from three Tests and could yet reach the competition’s showpiece on November 29.
The team’s win rate since Borthwick took charge in time for the 2023 Six Nations now stands at 58 per cent but Smith insists they should be aiming to win every single game.
“Expectation comes with being an England rugby player,” he said. “The RFU is a massive organisation and Twickenham is full every week.
“We’ve got great support and people just want to see us win, which is fair because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be a powerhouse in international rugby and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be winning every week.
“There are obviously things that might need certain bits of context here and there when we’re under a bit of pressure, but on the whole when we pull that white shirt on we all know that the expectations from the country and ourselves is to go and win.”
