England experience Six Nations dip as ‘leggy Lions’ feel the strain | Robert Kitson

Maro Itoje is not looking his freshest in the Six Nations and his normally dynamic team-mate Mako Vunipola has also gone quiet following an exacting summer tour to New ZealandOne of the most interesting sequences in sport is threatening to repeat itself yet again. Every four years, during the Six (or Five) Nations season immediately following a British and Irish Lions tour, it is as if lead weights have been attached to the legs of one nation and restorative oxygen pumped into the dressing-rooms of the rest.Spot the common theme in the following list of champions in post-Lions years since the …