Bronze medal papers over the cracks in Borthwick's setup - Andy Goode
Steve Borthwick has a great rugby brain but he needs to surround himself with the right people above and below if England are to flourish in the next four years.
The current coaching staff are very inexperienced, not just at international level, and I still think there’s a need for a director of rugby type figure between Borthwick on the coaching side and the RFU chief executive with a couple of interesting candidates now available.
Both Rassie Erasmus and Ian Foster will be looking for a new project to sink their teeth into and England have missed out on experienced coaches, such as Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, before so the RFU should strike while the iron is hot.
I’m not saying someone should be parachuted in above Borthwick without his permission so he would have to be the one to make the call, with the union just writing the cheque, and it’d take a strong individual to do it but it would make a massive difference.
Money is another matter entirely but I’m sure the RFU could find the cash if they deem it worthwhile and the experience of men like Erasmus, Foster or even Wayne Smith is priceless.
Borthwick cannot do it all on his own and someone who has been there, done it and got the t-shirt for him to bounce ideas off and deal with off-field issues, such as partial central contracts which could be coming down the line, would be invaluable.
We know World Cup winning assistant coach Felix Jones is coming in but it looks like Kevin Sinfield will be heading through the exit door sooner than anticipated so that could be a like for like swap and England are crying out for a bright, innovative attacking mind on the staff.
Richard Wigglesworth was the attack and kicking coach at the World Cup and he’ll continue on but he and scrum coach Tom Harrison, the other members of Borthwick’s coaching team, are very green and would definitely benefit from the presence of an experienced figure.
England clearly overachieved in terms of their finishing position at the World Cup compared to pre-tournament expectations and Borthwick should be applauded for that but winning a bronze medal shouldn’t be allowed to paper over the cracks.
There’s no hiding the fact that the style of play left a lot to be desired and there’s no way the team can continue to play in that manner for the next four years and keep supporters on board and paying the prices being charged at Twickenham.
Borthwick will know that and be conscious of his need to evolve, he just needs to ensure he doesn’t make himself an island and surrounds himself with the right people to help him succeed and for me that starts above him rather than below.
The next 12 months is going to be fascinating because Borthwick is going to have to stop talking only about the next game and start building for the future but not go too far and fall into the old Eddie Jones way of just focusing on the World Cup.
Clearly, a lot of the team that played in the Bronze final at the weekend will be there in Rome for the opening game of the 2024 Six Nations but a few are highly unlikely to make it to the next World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Danny Care and Dan Cole are both 36 and they may not have officially announced their international retirement but it’d be a surprise to everyone if they were playing in the Eternal City in February.
A couple of centurions in Ben Youngs and Courtney Lawes are stepping aside and Joe Marler has already retired from international rugby before so he won’t be there but there are a few other key decisions for Borthwick to make.
Manu Tuilagi has been a huge figure in English rugby for over a decade and I think he has a part to play moving forward because of the quality he still possesses but he’s unlikely to be starting at centre for England in 2027 at the age of 36.
I think it’s time to throw all your eggs into Ollie Lawrence’s basket and find a centre partner that can develop a partnership with him over the next four years, whilst using Manu to add x-factor when he’s fit.
Centre has been a bit of a problem position for England since they won the World Cup in 2003 and there aren’t a host of names jumping out at you as the obvious partner for Lawrence but the likes of Dan Kelly, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman and Will Joseph will all be putting their hands up.
Fly half is always the most important and high-profile position and Borthwick has a massive decision to make there. I suspect Owen Farrell will want to continue on and be England’s Johnny Sexton at the next World Cup but I’d be tempted to move away from him.
That might sound a bit harsh because I do think players should be picked on form and if he’s tearing it up in the Premiership and Champions Cup at the age of just 32, it’ll be hard not to pick someone with his undoubted class and experience but I do think he’s had too much influence in the past and I would definitely take the captaincy off him.
Marcus Smith is the most exciting attacking talent we have in this country and if he goes back to Quins and shines in the number 10 jersey, I think he should be picked in that position for England. It might have worked at times in this tournament but he isn’t an international full back in the long term.
There isn’t a big pool of candidates to be the next England captain either but I think Tom Curry is the most obvious option, or possibly Ben Earl. Both are shoo-ins in terms of selection, which is key, and lead by example.
I don’t see any reason why either wouldn’t do a great job and grow into the role, possibly with the help of a leadership mentor in the form of someone like Dylan Hartley or even a John Smit or someone from abroad who has captained with distinction.
Borthwick is a detail man and it’s those potential marginal gains that he should be looking at as England plan for the next World Cup and hopefully a bit further into the future as well as succession planning hasn’t exactly been a strongpoint in English rugby to date.
Elsewhere in the starting XV, Joe Marchant will be unavailable after his move to Stade Francais and, after his performances at the World Cup at the age of 22, it might be time to give Theo Dan a run in the number two jersey with Jamie George still involved.
The personnel will largely be decided by club form over the next few months, or it should be, but Borthwick has to expand his game plan and look to entertain, despite his risk averse nature.
The fans got behind England because it was a World Cup, it was a great experience just over The Channel and the team won some games but there is still a disconnect between the national team and the supporters and grassroots level.
It won’t take long before there are significant dissenting voices at Twickenham and the RFU do start to feel it in their pockets if the prices are sky high and England continue to play uninspiring rugby.
Saying changes are needed in management, coaching staff, players, captaincy and style might sound extreme or paint a bleak picture after a third place finish at a World Cup but that isn’t the case at all, Borthwick just needs to take the bull by the horns and be bold if England are to be true contenders in Australia in 2027 and at Six Nations in between.
Comments on RugbyPass
Danny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
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