Who is Steve Borthwick? The man set to be the new England manager
Ex-England captain Steve Borthwick is set to replace Eddie Jones as head coach after spending SEVEN YEARS working under the Aussie for Japan and the Red Rose… he’s spearheaded a revival at Leicester, but will he be too similar to his predecessor?
- Eddie Jones is set to be sacked as England manager on Tuesday after 5 wins in 12
- Steve Borthwick is the likely name set to take over the vacant England post
- Borthwick worked with Jones as Japan assistant and England’s forwards coach
- The lock was captain of his school team who rose up to lead England in 2008
Former England captain Steve Borthwick is set to replace Eddie Jones as head coach.
Jones is likely to be sacked on Tuesday after seven years in charge. It follows a poor run of results, including just five wins in England’s last 12 Tests.
Borthwick spent seven years as the Australian’s right-hand man for both Japan and England before becoming director of rugby at Leicester Tigers.
He prefers to keep a low profile, which could make some aspects of the England job more challenging, but he has experience with the team, and recent success at Leicester.
Steve Borthwick has emerged as the frontrunner to become the new head coach of England
Borthwick has previously worked as assistant to Eddie Jones (R), who looks set to be fired
WHAT IS HIS PLAYING BACKGROUND?
The 43-year-old was born in Carlisle, and he has a degree in Economics with Politics from the University of Bath.
Captain of his school rugby team, Borthwick went on to have a glittering career as a lock for Bath and Saracens.
He made the first of his 57 England caps during the 2001 Six Nations and would go on to captain the Red Rose for two years.
The lock rose from being captain at his school to being captain of England from 2008 to 2010
Having missed the cut for the 2003 World Cup squad, he was involved four years later, playing three group matches in 2007, but not playing any part of England’s matches in the knockout rounds as they fell short on retaining their trophy in the final.
Borthwick was first selected as England captain by Brian Ashton in February 2008 and retained the job after Martin Johnson took over as head coach two months later.
A 15-15 draw with Scotland in March 2010 would prove to be Borthwick’s last match for England, with a knee injury curtailing the captain’s involvement. By the time he returned from injury, Borthwick was out of the picture under Johnson, but he would play on for Saracens until 2014.
WHAT IS HIS COACHING JOURNEY SO FAR?
During his later playing days with Saracens, he trained as a coach, and took on a role there in 2012. Along side this, he began to work with Jones in the same year for Japan.
One of Borthwick’s earliest roles was as an assistant coach for Japan at the 2015 World Cup
After retirement from the playing game, he was assistant coach for Japan heading at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when they memorably beat South Africa.
Japan’s vibrant displays at that World Cup earned Jones the England job and he took Borthwick with him as his forwards coach in November 2015, helping England to back-to-back Six Nations wins in 2016 and 2017 and the World Cup final 2019.
Following the 2019 World Cup, Borthwick agreed a deal to become head coach of the Leicester Tigers in the middle of 2020, where he is currently under contract. RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney would have to work hard to undo that deal.
He has helped spearhead the revival of the Tigers with a structured approach over the past two years, leading them to the 2021-22 Premiership title. However, they have struggled in their bid to retain their trophy so far in the current campaign.
Borthwick was a forwards coach for England before and during the 2019 World Cup in Japan
He helped Leicester Tigers to win the Premiership title earlier this year, two years after joining
WHO ELSE COULD REPLACE JONES?
Borthwick is not a universally accepted candidate for the job, with Sportsmail’s Chris Foy saying it would be ‘the wrong call’ to pick someone who worked so closely with Jones.
Scott Robertson, the Crusaders coach, could also be in line for the England job, if the RFU decide not to plump for Borthwick. The 48-year-old Kiwi coached the Crusaders to Super Rugby Aotearoa championships in 2020 and 2021.
Conor O’Shea could also be promoted from within, despite a poor record with Italy – and might be selected if the RFU are considering short-term options.
Warren Gatland was previously rumoured for a possible caretaker role – although that window has slammed shut owing to his sensational return to Wales.
Scott Robertson, the Crusaders coach, is another candidate the RFU could consider
Exeter’s Rob Baxter could be coming into the England fold as Director of Rugby if Borthwick does take over, to deal with the RFU board, and commercial interests which may not appeal to the low-profile Borthwick.
WHAT NEXT?
England have less than a year to prepare for the 2023 World Cup, which takes place in France.
The RFU will hope to have someone installed soon, to ensure they can work with the players during the lead-up to and in the Six Nations early next year, and have as much time as possible before the global tournament begins in September.
Whoever comes in, they have big shoes to fill – Jones has the highest win percentage of any England head coach ever. But they also have to turn around the recent poor form that doomed Jones to his likely exit.
Jones looks set to leave the England post with the best winning percentage of any head coach
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