Borthwick is the RFU's man but he wouldn't be my choice - Andy Goode
The RFU finally decided enough is enough, albeit potentially 18 months too late, but now they should be bold in appointing Eddie Jones’ successor.
Clearly, Bill Sweeney didn’t have a plan fully in place or they would have named the new man in the same breath as dismissing Jones, as Wales did with Warren Gatland and Wayne Pivac, but I fully expect Steve Borthwick to be named England head coach before long.
That has been on the cards for some time and now it’s just a case of bringing the date forward, agreeing the timing and sorting the contractual details with Leicester, but fortune favours the brave and I still believe they should move heaven and earth to get Scott Robertson.
A breakdancing Kiwi coach and the blazers in the boardroom at Twickenham don’t seem like they fit but if you speak to anyone in the modern, professional game, it’s clear that he is best placed to create an environment, as well as a structure on the field, for the talent in England to thrive.
New Zealand Rugby would not make it easy for him to take over but, unless they’ve indicated to him that he’s in line to become the All Blacks boss in the not too distant future, we know he would be amenable to taking the England job.
I’ve no doubt nine months is more than enough time for him to turn things around before the World Cup too and whether it is Robertson or Borthwick, the only two realistic candidates, I do think England stand a better chance of winning the World Cup than they did with Jones in charge.
Ultimately, that is the view the RFU have taken and we’ll never know whether Eddie had a masterplan up his sleeve and it is a big mistake as some respected figures such as Matt Giteau have suggested.
Given the obvious contrast in approaches, I do feel England might get a bigger ‘new manager bounce’ under Robertson but they should still get one with Borthwick, who they seem to see as a more long-term option.
England certainly had one of those under Jones as they won their first 17 Tests under him and nobody should forget that he won three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam, and took the team to a World Cup final.
The fact that he has the best success rate of any England head coach is a credit to him but it isn’t particularly relevant to the decision about whether to make a change. His win percentage over the past two years is just 55% and in the end that has cost him.
The line in the RFU’s statement confirming that Richard Cockerill will “take over the day to day running of the men’s performance team” is just a procedural requirement and a fallback in case there are any delays in appointing Borthwick I’m sure.
It’s cost a lot of money to dismiss Jones already and it’ll be interesting to see how smoothly the process of appointing his successor and, crucially, his assistant coaches will be.
You have to question whether Borthwick would want to just slot in above the likes of Cockerill, Matt Proudfoot and Martin Gleeson and, as well as the cost involved, Tigers will surely not want to lose the likes of Kevin Sinfield, Aled Walters and Richard Wigglesworth too.
He has taken Leicester from 11th in the Premiership to winning the title in just his second season at the helm but it’s fair to ask if it’s a bit early in his evolution as a head coach for Borthwick to make the step up to international level.
Plus, it seems odd to say it given that lack of experience in the top job but Borthwick is certainly the safe appointment and the one less likely to have fans jumping for joy.
Press conferences will definitely be less explosive than they were in the Jones era and he doesn’t have the same charisma as Robertson that might naturally galvanise both the players and supporters.
It tends to be the case that coaches have a lifespan, things go stale and a new voice is needed and, while Borthwick is considered Jones’ protégé and in the same mould as him, he was assistant coach during the successful part of Jones’ England tenure so is unburdened by the recent failures.
Jones himself has said in the past that staying too long was his biggest mistake when he was Australia head coach and he was in that role for less than five years so perhaps he’ll feel the same when he looks back on his seven-year stint in charge of England.
As for the decision to dismiss him, it certainly isn’t a shock after the results and performances over the past couple of years but it did seem like the RFU were unwilling to act and I think it’s the deterioration in his relationship with the public that changed that.
The boos at Twickenham, ever-growing discontent among rugby fans across the country and disconnect between Jones and his players and the paying public become harder and harder to ignore and all of a sudden the end of the road comes sooner than you think.
The timing is the fascinating element in all this and I certainly think the RFU have to take criticism for backing themselves into a corner by not making a change after the disastrous 2021 Six Nations or the almost equally disappointing tournament this year.
If they’d made the decision then, they would have had more time to consider their options and negotiate and there would have been more candidates in the frame, as well as there being more time for the new man to implement his own ideas ahead of the World Cup.
We can’t change the past, though, and we can’t change the RFU overnight either so as exciting as it would be to see Robertson appointed, Borthwick is the more straightforward option and obvious heir to the throne.
One thing is for sure, the next England head coach has a whole heap of talent and resources at their disposal and, while the timing is far from ideal, a change was needed and we’ve seen coaches turn things around very quickly before so England’s World Cup chances have absolutely not gone up in smoke with Jones’ departure.
Comments on RugbyPass
The events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
4 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
5 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
20 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
27 Go to comments