It is a line he could have taken from a well-worn script used by countless England football managers. It is a line that is an excuse. “I think that the England shirt can, at times, weigh heavy,” Steve Borthwick said in the aftermath of the loss in Rome. What? Any heavier than the shirt on Welsh shoulders? Any heavier than a French jersey?

It implies that there is more pressure on English players – whether it be football or rugby – than there is on those who represent other countries. And it is nonsense. It is a cop-out. Playing for England brings critical scrutiny but not to an unusual extent. To suggest it does hints at an arrogance that is a fundamental problem in English rugby and, indeed, football.

This is an England rugby squad that, coming into the Six Nations, probably believed its own hype. There is no denying the run of results ahead of the tournament had been impressive but their recent Six Nations record demanded humility.

That run of results extended to 12 with the victory over the Welsh in the Six Nations opener and that sort of consistently good form should still be enough to keep him in his job. But let’s be honest, the run of three reverses is extremely likely to become four in Paris on Saturday night.

What should be decisive when it comes to Borthwick’s future as England’s head coach is not whether his team is beaten again, but – if it happens – how they are beaten again. First things first, discipline is instilled in a team by its managerial leader, by its coach.

England have the worst disciplinary record in the Six Nations, having collected seven yellow cards and a red. If that discipline disintegrates again, it is on Borthwick. And what is on Borthwick is an obligation to change the tactical approach. England’s kick-heavy approach has been found out and there has been a startling lack of tactical creativity when finishing off attacks.

England have made the second-most attacking entries in the tournament (48) but have the second-worst points per entry rate (2). In defence, they have conceded the fewest entries (29) but have conceded the most points per entry (3.2). In non-statistical terms, they look disjointed and disorganised.

Disorganisation in the Italy match was always going to be a risk after Borthwick made nine changes and then lost Tom Curry in the warm-up. He has made just one change to the lineup that will start against France and it goes without saying the coach must expect them to improve significantly.

And they were holding an 18-10 lead in Rome before ill-discipline cost them dearly. In the immediate wake of that defeat, the support for Borthwick from the players was predictable. It is hard to think of an instance when any player of any sport has come out and said the coach is not the man or woman for the job.

But the nature of that support did actually sound convincing. Again, you would expect a captain to say nothing different but Maro Itoje – whose own form and discipline has been symptomatic of the English slump – delivered his backing with a fair degree of emotion.

“Steve is definitely the right guy for the job,” Itoje said. “He’s a fantastic coach. He has led us to 12 big wins, big performances against the All Blacks, big wins. “Obviously, it’s not where we want to be at the moment – there’s no hiding away from that.”

Well, the game on Saturday night will show if anyone is hiding away from that. If England are beaten in Paris, it should not necessarily mean the end of the Borthwick era. But if there is a lack of discipline, a lack of creativity, a lack of zest in defeat, then 18 months out from World Cup 2027, it will be time for a change.