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
You forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
2 Go to commentsJa, why do Bulls get flack for not bringing their best but Leinster never bring their best and it goes “unnoticed”?
3 Go to commentsIt’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
7 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
2 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
11 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
7 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
2 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
7 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
7 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
7 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
11 Go to commentsLove and respect to Fiji but not a chance outside of 7s
4 Go to commentsGood summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
7 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
7 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
2 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
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