"Rip it up" - Sir Ian McGeechan calls for revamped England backline for Six Nations

England concluded their Rugby World Cup journey with a hard-fought triumph, narrowly defeating a resilient Argentina side in the third-place play-off held in Paris.

For a more comprehensive exploration of McGeechan's strategic insights, be sure to read his complete column in The Telegraph by clicking here.

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McGeechan wrote: "It looks as though Borthwick has made his call at fly-half with Owen Farrell. A lot of people may not agree with me, but Farrell is a matchwinner. He is a Test match animal. They lacked another playmaker in midfield though, and perhaps that means going back to Henry Slade. 

"Marcus Smith continues to develop well, but needs to be used at fly-half with two specialist centres."

McGeechan wrote: "Steward is outstanding in a kicking game but if you have two quick wingers you can vary the attack. England need speed and better balance in this area – the likes of Arundell or Adam Radwan."

McGeechan wrote: "I was impressed with the back row of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl. That combination leads to a challenge in competing at the line-out, but that is Borthwick’s area of expertise. You saw Curry up at the front – they might not be the biggest, but you can catch teams out by getting those players up quickly, with a big No 6 on the bench just in case."