In a match that ended his England career, Neil Back once again feared the worst and gave an honest assessment of Steve Borthwick's side.
Twenty years ago this week, the Rugby World Cup winners took off their white jerseys in reaction to the home defeat to Ireland.
The memory remains vivid, and Buck admits he fears another unforgettable upset.
“A tragic position”
“Are we worried about England this week? Yes,” said the Leicester legend.
“We're playing a team that consistently beats everyone in the world. If you play this game 10 times, you might win once.
“You have to hope this is that game, but when you play four Six Nations competitions you could end up in a dire situation where you lose more games than you win.”
The last time England faced a top-five ranked side at Twickenham they suffered a record defeat at home, with France scoring seven tries in a 53-10 rout.
Ireland are two places above France in the world standings and England are reeling from another heavy defeat, with Buck insisting their loss to Scotland was no laughing matter.
“I would often walk into a room and say, 'Is there any English here?' Welsh? Irish? Fans from those three countries would cheer,” he said.
“Then I say, 'Are there any Scottish people?'” There were only a few, so I joked, “It's like a Lions team!” I can't say that now. How many more people are there from Scotland than from England?
“After the Murrayfield game I joked on social media that it reminded me of when we used to let Scotland win once every 10 years just to keep them in the fight.
“We have now won one out of seven games against Scotland. I never thought it would happen like this.”
Such a slump was unthinkable in March 2004, when England played world champions Ireland, number one in the world rankings.
They took the lead with back-to-back away wins, but suffered a heavy defeat to France, and at Twickenham they faced an opponent they had not won for 10 years.
Next up was the Red Rose Horror Show. Three months after conquering the world with Australia, they lost 11 of 19 lineouts and lost the match.
decline of england
Things quickly unraveled from there. Three weeks later they lost in Paris, and by September coach Clive Woodward was gone. England did not win another title for seven years.
The anxiety Buck is feeling today is reminiscent of the day he was left on the bench as England surrendered a four-year unbeaten run at home to an Irish side who were trailing by 25 points.
He described the day he watched his country fail to win against Twickenham, which set a record 22 consecutive home wins for England over the past decade, as the “most frustrating day'' of his rugby career. ” I remember it being a day.
“For 80 minutes, I stood on the sidelines with 10 years' worth of experience and was never asked for help,” he wrote in his book. daily mirror column.
“I won't say I didn't care that people thought I wasn't offering anything that would improve England's situation. As I was putting it on, I thought to myself, “Enough is enough.''
Back pain turned into a victory for Ireland, who won 19-13 and stepped into their third treble in four years, with a Grand Slam hat that could very well be their fourth this month. It was a stepping stone to tricks.
“We went into that game having won 24 of 25 games,” Buck added. “Twenty years in Ireland is that team.”
So we take a look at the former flanker's assessment of his former team and whether it's time for him to wield the ax in the coaching box.
Borthwick and his coaching team
Going back to Borthwick's record of eight defeats in 19 games, with only one win coming against a higher-ranking opponent (Argentina), he said: “We are a million miles away from where England were 20-odd years ago.'' .
“Felix Jones [new defence coach] Borthwick's coaching team will be strengthened, but implementing a new defensive system will take time and problems will always arise.
“Jones won two World Cups with South Africa and was part of one of the best defenses in the world. But the Springboks already had an attacking system in place.
“Their defensive system was to create chances up the field, break up possession, and then attack with established structures.
“England are trying to build both at the same time and we're paying the price. The amount of penalties we've given away, the amount of balls we've dropped, the amount of tries we've leaked, that's not how you win Test matches. .
“I don't want to knock anyone,” Buck adds. He divides his time between his TPS Visual Communications and his Bullerwell and Co Ltd consulting work.
“But some of the other coaches have very little experience coaching at this level, and I think it shows.
“Offense and defense are not linked.
“Given all this, I believe England were wrong to bring in a new head coach and then take the decision to look for another one a year later. Borthwick should be given time. is.”
read more: Former England star calls for 'basic competency' in Ireland game as Scotland tragedy 'disgusting to watch'
