Topsy Ojo feels 'really good' about England World Cup odds and uncapped stars

Time heals all things, and in the case of this year's Rugby World Cup, Topsy Ojo is confident it could even have a rejuvenating effect on an England squad that's been ailing for some years.

A toxic end to Eddie Jones' tenure left many under the impression a rot had set in, leaving certain players disillusioned over the life of a Red Rose and all that entailed. Successor Steve Borthwick was lauded as a tonic in that sense, with he and his coaching staff bringing a medicinal, feel-good factor that had seemingly been amiss.

It wasn't enough to restore results at the 2023 Six Nations, where England won just two of their five fixtures for the third year running. However, even Borthwick - who led Leicester Tigers to their 11th Premiership title in 2022 - couldn't be blamed for failing to work miracles, after being given just a month's run-up to the competition.

Now seven months into the role, Ojo told Daily Star Sport he believes Borthwick has England on the mend and ready to start afresh in earnest ahead of this summer's rugby bonanza.

"I'm feeling really good [about England's outlook]," said the London Irish legend. "The results in the Rugby Championship - some incredible games - and I guess it does tell you how open this World Cup is gonna be... probably the most open that there's been."

After weeks of training, chopping and changing, Borthwick is set to announce his World Cup squad on August 8, just a few days after Saturday's opening warm-up fixture against Wales. The Red Rose will face Wales again on August 12, Ireland on August 19 and Fiji on August 26, before making the trip out to France.

Ojo remains cautious about racing too far ahead in his predictions given Pool D opponents Argentina and Japan - hosts and quarter-finalists at the last World Cup - will make for hefty competition.

"From [the knockout stages], it's about turning up on the day, delivering and being physically prepared as you're weeks into the tournament, being mentally prepared as well... and I think England are absolutely more than capable," the 38-year-old continued. "Especially now they've got a window to really bed in what Borthwick wants to do.

"They didn't have that at the Six Nations, it was going to be a plaster on the wound [after Jones' exit in December 2022], but now they've got time to really implement strategies and decide who they're gonna be as a team and how they're going to play."

Speaking of working under serious time constraints, Jones has found the going difficult in his second stint as Australia's head coach. While New Zealand dominated the field with a perfect three wins from three, the Wallabies finished bottom of the pile as the only team who failed to record a win.

Ojo - who scored two tries against the All Blacks in his England debut but won just one more senior cap - likened Jones' 'very difficult' situation to that of Borthwick and England. And he joked an away trip to South Africa - in which Australia were pummelled 43-12 in Pretoria - is hardly the ideal setting for a fast start.

"I think every coach understands it's not always gonna be rosy - I know Eddie's thing was always, 'Judge me at the World Cup,'" added the former wing. "So he won't mind going through a bit of pain if, come September, Australia are game ready and they've used all the lessons they're learning now to get themselves ready to hit the ground running in France."

Of course, any new coach would hope there aren't many lessons that need to be learnt. But for an England team that lost seven and won five of its 13 games in 2022, the writing was on the wall that performance had ebbed to a new low under Borthwick's predecessor.

After making 300 appearances for the Exiles and moving into analytical roles with ITV and BT Sport, Ojo has emerged as a valued voice in the punditry world. As for areas in which England most need to evolve, the former back-three specialist highlighted two that are in most desperate need of attention.

"Attack would be the stand-out [point of improvement], I think. You've just got to be able to go out and score four tries a game. That's kind of your bare minimum, and that's what the best teams do," said Ojo. "So England really need to get that balance right between doing things while structured and when they're unstructured, and they can just play and have a go without any fear of consequence and actually back their skill set, because they're good enough players to do that."

Only Wales (11) and basement-dwellers Italy (nine) scored fewer than England's 13 tries at this year's Six Nations, and the each of those teams only narrowly conceded more points than the Red Rose. It's easy as an outsider to suggest the team simply play with more [insert 'verve', 'creativity' or 'imagination'], but Ojo provided actionable advice.

"The other one would be that physical intensity across 80 minutes. . .we know South Africa are a big, physical side. You stand next to them and think, 'These guys aren't your average humans,'" he continued. "But New Zealand handled that - France are the same, Ireland are the same. They have the ability to do that across 80 minutes, so I think that's definitely something England are gonna need to add to their armoury as well.

"If they can do those two things, then I think we can start talking about tactics and how they're gonna play as a team. They need to be really good with the ball, they need to be unpredictable and not be a team that just attacks in certain areas of the pitch. They need to have that variety to be able to go from anywhere and threaten teams across the pitch."

A gruelling summer onslaught is almost at an end for an unfortunate contingent of stars, with Borthwick set to hack his ranks down to 33 in the next week. And some sections of the squad are set to see some particularly potent players go missing.

Ojo - who revealed he had chances to play in France but prioritised his prestigious place at London Irish - is in favour of players heading overseas, provided they have assurances over their international commitments. And it's some of those who have thrived in France's Top 14 who caught his eye in regards to both big omissions and bolters-in-the-making.

"The big surprise would be Zach Mercer given the season he's had at Montpellier," replied the Premiership icon when asked whom he's surprised to have seen cut from the reckoning already. "I know he's been away in France, but he's been playing really well and in the mix. I guess they've seen something in camp that didn't quite add up - what that is remains to be seen."

As for who has caught his eye in the build-up to Saturday's warm-up opener against Wales, two potential debutants face a major crossroads in direct competition with one another.

"Two I'm really looking forward to seeing who aren't capped yet are Tom Willis and Tom Pearson," he added. "The back row always tends to be the most competitive, and there are some serious names in that back row already. [Courtney] Lawes, [Lewis] Ludlam, [Tom] Curry, [Alex] Dombrandt and Ben Earl, who hasn't been able to get in and is now starting to get more caps under his belt.

"And then you throw in Pearson and Willis as well, and it's like, 'Right, how [do I fit] 10 into three?' It doesn't quite add up, and they're all quality players in their own right. But I think given how [Willis] has gone away to France under the circumstances [Wasps' financial collapse] and had a really, really impressive season. Having him and [brother Jack Willis] in the same back row would be something worth seeing, for sure.

"Like I say, Tom Pearson has had a breakout year. He's been carrying, tackling, doing everything you want a back-rower to do, and the potential for what he can do in an England shirt is very exciting."

Ojo is perhaps partial in Pearson's case, having watched the 23-year-old tear it up for his old club London Irish for the past two seasons. However, the uncapped underdog - now at Northampton Saints - acts and plays with a maturity beyond his years and has excelled at just the right moment to earn a spot in contention for World Cup honours.

Then again, a shortage of talent has rarely been the issue for England even during the malaise that's been witnessed since finishing as runners-up to the Springboks in Japan four years ago. But Borthwick's breath of fresh air - and just a little bit of time - may be just the spark required for a return to rugby's summit.