It had not escaped Steve Borthwick’s attention as he unveiled his England squad for the autumn that he might not be the central story of the sporting day. The former lock is not yet acquainted on a personal level with newly-unveiled football counterpart Thomas Tuchel, but he is sure he will soon be, such are the circles in which major sporting figureheads swim.
Events at Wembley may have stolen Borthwick’s thunder but this was nonetheless a crucial day for the Cumbrian. The last few months have been ones of yet more behind-the-scenes tumult within his coaching staff, England rocked in the summer by the departure of strength and conditioning guru Aled Walters and defence coach Felix Jones. Borthwick had not spoken publicly since.
”I understand when situations like that happen, we want to see the drama on the pitch and when we see stuff happening off the pitch, it’s characterised sometimes as drama,” Borthwick said, moving to play down suggestions of turmoil. “But for me, we have quite a stable coaching team: we have Wiggy [Richard Wigglesworth], we have Tom Harrison and Straws [Andrew Strawbridge] – these are guys I’ve worked with for a period of time now.”
Borthwick would not be drawn on the specifics of either departure. While Walters has taken up an exciting role in Ireland, where he lives, and is a strong contender to assist Andy Farrell on the British and Irish Lions tour next summer, Jones remains on the payroll of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) while he works a 12-month notice period. He will, in Borthwick’s words, provide support from afar on “specific projects regarding analysis” as Joe El-Abd – working two jobs as he oversees a final season at French club Oyonnax – takes up control of the defence.
Walters is yet to be directly replaced, with Borthwick’s attempts to appoint Saracens’s Phil Morrow so far blocked by the other Premiership clubs. It is still hoped that agreement will be reached to secure Morrow, but his arrival is unlikely to come before the Six Nations. Despite the head coach’s protestations, a picture of chaos is easy to paint.
“I respected that two guys decided they wanted to go elsewhere for individual reasons and personal circumstances,” Borthwick continued. “But there’s also a lot of people that want to be here. The CVs I got sent, the high quality CVs I got sent, means there are a lot of people who want to coach this England team.
“I think those things tell me this is a place where a lot of people want to be, that we have an exciting group of players. The players are pretty clear about enjoying this environment.”
The whole saga has turned these next four games into pivotal fixtures for Borthwick’s regime. Both at the end of the Six Nations and on the summer tour, great green shoots of growth were readily evident – the stirring win over Ireland at Twickenham; pushing the All Blacks close twice in New Zealand. It can be seen in the continuity within a squad with an age profile that suggests further development.
But there is a fear that the spring and early summer buds may be hindered by the recent off-field frost. Certainly, the upheaval of Jones’s departure after such a dramatic turnaround in England’s defensive system and output is far from ideal. The fact that Walters has not been replaced, meanwhile, could not be worse timed given Borthwick and his strength and conditioning department now have greater control over the individual programme of the members of their squad.
There is also the fact to consider that, despite their obvious progress, England have fallen short in three of their last four Tests. The helter-skelter defeat to France in Lyon at the end of the Six Nations could have tilted in either direction but when the tough moments came in New Zealand, Borthwick’s side were rather found wanting.
“We have got an exciting series ahead of us,” the head coach predicted ahead of autumn games against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan. “In each of those [defeats to France and the All Blacks], in the final 20 minutes we have been winning at some stage.
“As this team develops and matures, then I think we will understand closing [out] those games and finishing the job. That is they key job: make sure the team continues the good work of getting themselves in a position to win the games and then finish the job. Part of that comes with being in those situations. We have to make sure we reflect on our performances and learn the lessons super fast.”
The indications from Borthwick are that a settled side will be favoured. With Henry Slade back ahead of schedule from shoulder surgery, there is hope that he may be able to reform his promising centre partnership with Ollie Lawrence as soon as the autumn opener at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on 2 November. Though Alex Mitchell’s neck injury will probably render him unavailable, George Ford could be fit for a three-way fight with Marcus and Fin Smith for a starting 10 shirt he seized in the Six Nations.
Borthwick has been keen to avoid the muddled selections of predecessor Eddie Jones, preferring instead to put time into players. This can be seen from a 36-man group containing not a single uncapped player – unheard of under the Australian.
“I see continuity, building relationships as a really important thing,” the head coach outlined. “If you look at the back three that’s played a lot of games recently together – Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Manny Feyi-Waboso – they don’t have a lot of caps in total but they have their caps together and that is really important for us. Lawrence and Slade haven’t played a lot together in the centres, but you have seen them do it this year and you have seen them develop. So that continuity is an important aspect.
“At the same point in time we have a lot of players pushing hard. You have seen a lot of good play in the Premiership so far this season and there are a lot of players knocking on the door which is a good position to be in.”
It would not necessarily be reflective of an overly-demanding marker to suggest that 75 per cent might be the passing grade this autumn. Part of the reason that Jones was able to retain his post during England’s Six Nations struggles was his ability to consistently prepare a side that could challenge the Southern Hemisphere sides at this time of year. Australia and Japan in their current state appear eminently beatable; New Zealand’s Rugby Championship struggles indicate they may be to. After a summer of upheaval, an autumn of English opportunity awaits.
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