If you had walked into the pubs around Twickenham in January 2025 and told fans that England would end the year on an 11-match winning streak, you would have been laughed out of the building.

Expectations were on the floor. The team looked static, the game plan felt rigid, and the shadow of previous failures loomed large. Yet, twelve months later, Steve Borthwick has overseen a quiet revolution. England finishes 2025 not with the Six Nations trophy, but with something perhaps more sustainable: an identity, a steely resolve, and a record of 11 wins from 12 Tests.

Here is how England went from also-rans to the team nobody wants to play.

England Rugby 2025 Season Review: What Happened: The “Nearly” Year

England’s 2025 season is a story of “nearly” followed by “perfection.” They lost their opening match against Ireland in Dublin (22-27), a result that ultimately handed the Six Nations title to France on bonus points. However, that defeat was the last time England tasted failure.

They responded by beating the eventual champions France, sweeping a summer tour of the Americas, and delivering a clean sweep in the Autumn Nations Series, headlined by a tactical dismantling of New Zealand.

Deep Analysis: The Evolution of Borthwick’s England

1. The “Dublin Wake-Up Call”

To understand the success, we must analyze the failure. The opening loss to Ireland wasn’t a disaster; it was a calibration. In January, the prevailing view was that England couldn’t live with the speed of the Irish ruck.

For 60 minutes in Dublin, England proved they could. The loss came down to bench impact and discipline—two areas Borthwick fixed immediately. That defeat stripped away the fear. England realized they didn’t need to reinvent the wheel; they just needed to be fitter and smarter than the opposition for the full 80 minutes.

2. The Victory That Changed Everything: England 26-25 France

The turning point of the year wasn’t in the Autumn; it was “Le Crunch.” France went on to win the Six Nations, but on that day at Twickenham, England out-thought them.

This wasn’t “boring Borthwick-ball.” It was a sophisticated attacking display where Marcus Smith and George Ford operated in tandem, exposing the French backfield. It proved that England could beat the best team in Europe. While the league table shows England finished 2nd, the psychological victory of beating the champions fueled the belief for the rest of the year.

3. The “Bomb Squad” 2.0

The biggest success of 2025 isn’t a specific try; it’s a substitution strategy.

• The 6-2 Split: Post-Six Nations, Borthwick committed to a 6-2 bench split (6 forwards, 2 backs). This allowed England to replace their entire front row and back row with no drop in power.
• The “Closing” Mentality: In the Six Nations, England scraped past Scotland (16-15). By November, they were physically destroying teams in the final 20 minutes. The wins became comfortable not because of magic, but because the opposition was simply too bruised to tackle by the 75th minute.

Player Arcs: The Individuals Who Defined the Year

The stats don’t lie, and neither do the storylines. These were the players who shifted the dial in 2025.

• Ben Earl (The Machine): The statistics from the Autumn Series are frightening. Earl topped the charts for carries (60) and metres made (185) across the four Tests. He isn’t just a back-rower; he is England’s primary ball carrier.
• Max Ojomoh (The Breakout): The surprise package of the Autumn. Stepping in for the injured Fraser Dingwall against Argentina, Ojomoh didn’t just survive; he thrived. Leading the team in assists during the Autumn, he provided the creative spark in midfield that England has desperately missed.
• Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (The Finisher): The “sensation” tag is justified. Tries against New Zealand, Fiji, and Argentina proved he can finish against anyone. His intercept try vs the All Blacks was the moment England fans truly started to believe.
• George Ford (The Tactician): When the pressure was highest in Argentina and against New Zealand, Borthwick turned to Ford. His two drop goals in the first half against the All Blacks kept the scoreboard ticking when the attack stalled, proving that game management is still king in Test rugby.

The Summer Tour: Forging Iron in the Argentine Crucible

If the Six Nations was about discovering England’s flaws, the Summer Tour to Argentina was about fixing them under fire. Often referred to as the “Spring Tour” by fans, this trip to South America was the defining moment of the 2025 season.

Winning a series 2-0 in Argentina is notoriously difficult, yet England made the hostile pits of La Plata and San Juan look like home. The first Test (35-12) was a tactical masterclass; George Ford pinned the Pumas back with a kicking display that drained the emotion out of the crowd, allowing the pack to dominate the set-piece.

But it was the second Test (22-17) that truly impressed. In a grimy, disjointed game where the Pumas threw everything at the breakdown, England’s defense refused to buckle. This wasn’t the flamboyant rugby of Harlequins; it was Test match grit. By silencing the Argentine crowd twice in two weeks, England proved they had found the mental resilience that was so painfully missing in Dublin earlier in the year.

The Autumn Nations Series: Dismantling the Giants

Returning to Twickenham for the Autumn, England shifted from “resilient” to “ruthless,” delivering a clean sweep that sent shockwaves through the Southern Hemisphere.

The campaign began with a suffocation of the Wallabies (25-7), where a blitz defense so aggressive it bordered on reckless kept Australia out of the 22 for an entire half. However, the crown jewel was the 33-19 demolition of the All Blacks. This wasn’t a lucky win; it was a physical bullying, driven by Borthwick’s 6-2 bench split that saw the English pack destroy the New Zealand scrum in the final 20 minutes.

To cap it off, facing Argentina for the third time in 2025, England showed they could win ugly, grinding out a 27-23 victory despite fatigue setting in. Defeating the Southern Hemisphere’s “Big Three” in consecutive weeks confirmed that Twickenham has once again become a fortress where visiting hopes go to die.

Fan Perspective: From Apathy to Roaring Belief

The atmosphere at Twickenham has undergone a complete transplant. In 2024, there was a sense of duty in the stands. In late 2025, there is genuine electricity.

Conclusion

Steve Borthwick has achieved the hardest thing in sport: changing the narrative. He took a team burdened by low expectations and turned them into a winning machine.

The 2025 season will go down as a “Silver Medal” year in the record books, but on the pitch, it was a Gold Standard performance. An 11-match winning streak is not a fluke; it is a statement. Heading into 2026, England are no longer the underdogs—they are the target.