'Borthwick is running too tight a ship' – Andy Goode
Steve Borthwick has named more squads than I have had hot dinners this summer – but he keeps missing the opportunity to connect with England fans. Selection is obviously one of the most important jobs for an international head coach and he has made some big calls I disagree with, but that is completely subjective and he has earned the right to make them.
However, it is also incumbent on an international boss to consider so many of the finer details to get the country behind their team and to develop an environment in which players can thrive. One of the biggest criticisms of the back end of the Eddie Jones era was that England looked like they were playing in a straitjacket and Borthwick needs to loosen up and let his chosen ones express themselves.
Hopefully, we will see some evidence of that in the Summer Nations Series but we are yet to do so in his tenure and it isn’t just on the pitch that we need to see it – the work starts behind the scenes and away from the field of play.
We know Borthwick’s England are going to be drilled to within an inch of their life but we need to see personality too. The public want to be engaged and I feel he is running too tight a ship.
It was a very closed shop with regard to the media during his time at Leicester and it seems similar with England at the moment, but the players should be rugby’s biggest asset and you can’t underestimate how important it is for them to connect with the paying public.
Some of the new replica kits released last week cost £125 for adults and £95 for kids, which will price a lot of people out of the market, and I’m hearing sales of hospitality and travel are down as well. The sport is on its backside financially and it would certainly help the coffers to have an engaged and passionate fan base that has a real affinity with the national team. Instead, I hear from a lot of people who feel disenfranchised and more disconnected from the players who are playing for them than ever before.
Tigers won the Premiership under Borthwick and he did a lot of things right but everything that came out of the club was tightly controlled, went through him and fitted with his narrative rather than players being able to speak freely and openly on different topics.
Of course, we see the odd photo from England players on social media and a bit of content on England Rugby’s official channels, but we don’t see enough of them in the wider media and that access is something that is sorely needed.
If you compare that to the England cricket team, they may have just lost the Ashes because of rain in Manchester of all things but the fans have really got behind the team as a result of a clear, exciting game plan and individual personalities being allowed to shine through.
A lack of access isn’t a problem that is exclusive to England in rugby but, while the cricketers are doing podcasts and newspaper columns as well as giving lots of time and insight to Sky as a broadcaster, the country’s best rugby players are largely kept hidden away.
It’s probably a long shot to expect the pre-World Cup training camps to produce a radical new Borthball approach that rivals English cricket’s Bazball, but Borthwick has to take the shackles off a bit and that can start with access off the pitch.
Even when we do hear from England players and Borthwick right now, there is always an undercurrent of negativity. They are obviously going to say they are excited and enjoying themselves, but it’s often prefaced with how far behind they were.
You can see it now, that if England get to a quarter-final or semi-final, they will tell us how well they have done given how little time they had to prepare with a new coaching team. There needs to be a shift to a more positive mindset and a belief that they can win the World Cup.
We know they are not going in as favourites or even in the top three or four, but we don’t need to keep hearing what the problems were. Borthwick has had a full Six Nations, plenty of camps and months in charge and should start focusing on the positive work he has done.
England’s cricketers may have lost the Ashes but viewing figures were great. The series captured the imagination of the country, the style of play was thrilling and the players seemed approachable and relatable to supporters.
It would be amazing to think that England’s rugby players will go one better and win the World Cup, but cricket has certainly shown the template for how they should go about their business if they want to get everyone behind them.
The bottom line is Borthwick is a protégé of Jones but if England do what they have done in recent years, they won’t get close to winning the World Cup so he has to take a gamble and rewrite the script.
That does need to include a more ambitious, attacking game plan but it also has to mean getting rid of the arrogance that fans will support the England team no matter what and involve a conscious effort to reconnect with them, which should really be an easier fix.
Comments on RugbyPass
Crusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
10 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
10 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
10 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
3 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
3 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
3 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to comments