The question Borthwick and co will privately be asking themselves
As a coach, there are many difficult challenges in international rugby. Selecting a squad is tricky: bringing a number of different players together and getting them to understand and enact a game plan isn’t easy. Also, getting your back room staff together; you’ve gotta get the best out of a lot of different people at the same time; that will be awkward. Dealing with the press? Bothersome. The questioning, the traps, the constant repetition of the same message which keeps enough interest for the watching public, but enough privacy for you to get on with the task at hand.
And choosing the game plan: what a quest. Do you get your players to adapt to the game plan or do you adapt the game plan to your players? And the intricacies of the game, the different areas, all need mini-game plans. “We do this when this is happening; then that when that starts to take place.” Manoeuvres, responsibilities, strategies, ethoses: gives you a headache just thinking about it.
Steve Borthwick is earning his corn right now. Many would say it was good corn, but he is earning it nonetheless. But when you consider all he has to think about (the above list is not exhaustive and does not represent too accurately the size of the task), you don’t begrudge him the corn he gets.
But one of the most difficult challenges of being a top international coach is not listed above. It is, in fact, one that very few international coaches consider when starting out and yet, it must be one which crosses the minds of all that find themselves in the spot Borthwick does right now. In fact, I should think that as their heads hit their pillows each night this week, Messrs Borthwick, Wigglesworth, Sinfield and even Walters will be turning this question over and over in their minds. Because when you’re a coach so much is about getting things right; so much is geared into thinking about how you achieve an outcome that you are sure is out there. The most difficult realisation arrives when you come to terms with the fact you’ve got it wrong. What do you do then?
Let’s ask ourselves a question that comes before that last one. Namely, when do you know you’ve got it wrong? How many losses or poor performances do you endure? And I think perhaps the latter of those two is more important. How many games, when the performances and actions of your players do not match what you are expecting, does it take to make you think you’ve got it wrong? Are England there now? Do they need the Fiji game to find out anymore? Surely not.
Because we can all get things wrong. With perfectly admirable and understandable intentions, we can be incorrect. We think a way of playing this game is going to work, and it doesn’t. It’s not a huge crime. It happens all the time. But I suppose the real problem comes when you don’t change your ideas. You just stubbornly persist far longer than you should with a game plan that, quite frankly, doesn’t work. One of the real challenges of being a coach is not knowing what works, but knowing when things aren’t working and making the right and timely decisions to try a different tack.
What makes it worse is you can’t flip flop. You have to give things a go. You have to commit to a process long enough to see how and if it is possible but then also not overcommit and spend too long trying something that isn’t possible. But how long? These things take time. And perhaps underneath the microscope of a Six Nations and World Cup warm up matches is not the time to have these sorts of experiments. Maybe you get yourself into this sort of position and you’re in too deep. Changing now might be perceived as weakness and as you head on to the grandest of world stages, you need everyone around you to think you’re strong. I can understand how you might just hunker down and see the storm out. You’ve come this far, battled so hard, there’s no point in heading in any other direction than this one. If it kills you, it kills you. At least you’ll have kept your promise. They’ll say you were a man of your word; courageous.
But courage and stupidity are first cousins. They feel the same right up to the point that they’re not. Right up to the point where you thought your courage was the thing that was going to set you apart from others, you realise it was actually stupidity.
Because Borthwick’s current game plan isn’t working. But, crucially, his players aren’t broken, they haven’t suddenly become poor and ineffective; the coaching staff are bright and adroit at putting things across, they are all good coaches: the game plan they are trying to stick to doesn’t work. And to continue down this path much longer is stupidity.
The ill discipline being exhibited out on the pitch is a symptom of how that plan isn’t right. These players are frustrated, uncomfortable, pushing too hard. Ireland’s disciplinary record is in stark contrast to England’s and much of that is down to the way the players feel when they are on the pitch. The England players being red and yellow carded are doing so because they aren’t happy playing the way they are being asked to play.
England’s answer lies in their opposition yesterday. Ireland play out the back as a first option; it lends a freedom to their thought processes, an openness. England seemed to think that going out the back is only an option if there is space. Ireland are the opposite, they only hit a front ball when a front ball is on (Aki’s try which saw Stuart exposed in a channel). Ireland will not kick the ball away as much as Ford did yesterday.
In fact, I don’t think Ford wants to kick the ball away as much as he did yesterday. He’s a pragmatic ten, sees what is in front of him and makes the right option but, at the moment, he’s following the game plan, frustrated. Saracens play a wonderful brand of winning rugby and with England that isn’t the case. Tucked arms, for me, on show from two of the highest profile Saracens players, represent the frustration and restriction with which a talented group of players are being made to play.
One of the hardest things you can do in international coaching is recognise that you’ve got something wrong and change it. Borthwick is at this crossroads. He definitely has the capability and knowhow to alter his approach and he certainly has the experience out on the field to go with that change. I don’t think it is too late for Borthwick to experience a positive World Cup. The question isn’t really whether he needs to change, it is more if he will do it. The timing of this decision will dictate how well England perform at the Rugby World Cup and ultimately, how much longer he will be coaching them.
It’s that simple: he has to do it and it’s a situation only made more complicated by thinking about it.
Comments on RugbyPass
“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.
37 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…
1 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 …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments