Cipriani issues jarring advice for England team 'digging its own grave'

Former England flyhalf Danny Cipriani has claimed that “English rugby is digging its own grave” in a withering Tweet on where he feels Steve Borthwick is going wrong.

Borthwick’s men were handed a 29-10 paddling by Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, where an earnest if incompetent England struggled to string together anything convincing in attack, with flyhalf George Ford instead carrying a strategic plan which focused on repeatedly kicking to Ireland’s backfield.

To make matters worse for England, their lost No.8 Billy Vunipola to a red card after he clattered Ireland loosehead Andrew Porter in the head. Vunipola will now join captain and fellow Saracen Owen Farell in facing a hearing this week, with the latter facing a World Rugby appeal of a decision the dismissal of his recent red card against Wales.

Cipriani had some tough love for his former team, suggesting their macho approach to the game wasn’t enough.

“English rugby is digging its own grave, led by people that do not understand the art of the game,” wrote Cipriani on Twitter.

“It’s steeped in tradition and heritage which is outdated and the very thing shackling the game. The game is coached at step 2/3, lowest common denominator. Never step one, game understanding/intelligence, spacial recognition, nuance.

“It is all how tough can I show to the world I am. Bravado. It will only ever bring a certain level of performance. Open discussions where coaches welcome new ideas that feel uncomfortable to them because it’s the only way it will grow.

“Don’t be Sam Allardyce when you can be Pep Guardiola. Attack space in every aspect and build confidence in players [sic] decision making not conform to a plan. Have a framework but be flexible.

“All aligned under the vision of someone who you want to follow or have qualities that you admire… knowledge, compassion, passion, emotional intelligence, love, honesty and humility. If you’re trained to think and not to feel you’re always going to be one step behind.”

English rugby is digging its own grave, led by people that do not understand the art of the game. It’s steeped in tradition and heritage which is out dated and the very thing shackling the game. The game is coached at step 2/3, lowest common denominator. Never step one, game…

— Danny Cipriani (@DannyCipriani87) August 20, 2023

He went on to say in the reply to his comments, that it wasn’t a personal attack on Borthwick: “It doesn’t mean Borthwick isn’t right for the job. He has clearly grown from a player to a coach. He over took [sic] a very wooden system left by Eddie. Which is a very tough job to get the players to unlearn what was ingrained in them.”