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
Lets 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?
10 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.
9 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.
10 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.
22 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.
9 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 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 commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments