Ben Youngs: The 'main England difference' between Borthwick, Jones
Centurion Test scrum-half Ben Youngs has revealed what he claims to be the main England difference now that Steve Borthwick has succeeded Eddie Jones as head coach. Jones was dismissed in December after his team registered just five wins in a dozen 2022 matches and was replaced by Leicester boss Borthwick, his former Japan and England assistant.
There was no immediate bounce in the results as England posted a two-wins-from-five-outings return for the third successive Guinness Six Nations campaign, but record men’s caps holder Youngs has explained how very different the team environment was this year.
“One of the things Steve did straight away was make sure all the rugby stuff was done at the training centres, so no meetings are ever done at the hotel or in the hotel area,” said Youngs during an appearance on the latest Rugby Pod ahead of this Friday’s Leicester trip to Dublin to take on Leinster in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals.
“Everything is done at the base, at the training centre. So, when you are at the hotel, you’re at the hotel and you’re relaxed and it is downtime. When you are there (at the training centre), it is work. How it was under Eddie before, you’d train, we have all our meetings in the hotel, have catch-ups at the hotel, have unit meetings.
“You might be going down for breakfast and suddenly you are sort of grabbed as they need a quick chat, can you review something with a coach or can you look at this. Or you are about to go for dinner and it’s, ‘Have you got five minutes? You need just look at this’. That is very different now. If we are there, we’re there, whereas before it was both.
Champions Cup Wrap up with co host Ben Youngs and Bristol’s Flying Fijian Semi Radradra ???
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— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) April 4, 2023
“I guess that maybe led on to some boys potentially always feeling, ‘Oh, I’m about to get grabbed and suddenly have to go into a meeting’. So you never truly switched off. But Steve is so thorough and incredibly diligent, and he is aware of anything like that, so that is probably why one of the reasons why he was, ‘Right, we work here, we do all our work here but when in the hotel you are done, you switch off, you use that as an escape’.
“Test week, it’s high pressure, intense, and you can’t carry that 24/7 all the week long. You have got to be able to do it, park it, rest up be ready to go again – that was probably the big difference.”
As regards the respective coaching styles of Borthwick and Jones, Youngs claimed: “Similar philosophies but sort of different at the same time. The stricter schedule and everything like that is completely different to how it was under Eddie. Steve was probably aware of when he comes he didn’t want it to feel the same, he needed it to feel different and he did a great job of doing that.
“Steve is very evidence and data-based and Eddie was probably more feel. Eddie was an incredible coach and I have no doubt he will do well with Australia. What Steve did essentially, a bit similar to what he did at Leicester really, he comes in and had to start with the foundations and build the philosophy of how we want to play and build the culture and that takes time.
“At club level, you are in every day, every day you get an opportunity to work on something and develop that but when you are an international coach you have such a small window to do that. You have 33 blokes in on Sunday to Tuesday and then they go, and you are left with the 23, 24 and then even the mini-camps midweek during the tournament, they are even less players in that.
“So it’s a difficult challenge because you are building foundations, building the culture and all that but your time is so limited. That is why the World Cup camp, Richard (Wigglesworth) going in and Aled (Walters), all those guys and the team together I’m sure will make up so much ground in terms of those foundations, the cultures, ethos, all those things that need doing that take time – you are in every day and it will accelerate very quickly.”
A selection favourite under Jones, Youngs only made a single appearance for Borthwick (off the bench in the round one loss to Scotland). Jack van Poortvliet, his Leicester colleague, instead started all five matches but Youngs doesn’t bear any grudges.
“No there isn’t (any awkwardness). Honestly, there isn’t. You can always compare and be, ‘Oh I can do this and he can do that’. But at the end of the day, it is what can I do. And do you know what, the only thing I could do was go back to the club and play well and I felt like I did that. I felt like I contributed to the run of results, and I really enjoyed just being at the club,” he said, adding that the feedback from Borthwick and co was clear.
“The clarity that you get from coaches is always very, very clear and if it isn’t then you go and seek it. But Steve has always been very clear, chats have always been positive. After Scotland, I wasn’t involved for the rest of the tournament but was there Sunday to Tuesday trying to put my best foot forward.
“Also having worked with Steve for three years he knows how I am as a person, as a player, what I can do and obviously I know his game plan very well as do a lot of the lads who were under him at Leicester. It was more just getting what I need to do, what can I do and move from there really. But it was always very clear, a lot of the time positive.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments