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The 'type of person' Steve Borthwick wants in England environment

(Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images)

New England boss Steve Borthwick has identified the type of person he wants in his national team’s environment as he looks to pick up the pieces of the Eddie Jones era. The English are coming off the back of their worst set of calendar year results since 2008, winning just five of their dozen matches in 2022 which resulted in the dismissal of Jones even though he had been contracted through to the completion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

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With the RFU on the record long ago that they would prefer an English coach to take over the role when it became vacant, ex-England skipper Steve Borthwick was always the front-runner having helped his country as an assistant to reach the 2019 World Cup final before joining Leicester Tigers and guiding them as head coach to Gallagher Premiership glory last June.

Six months after that crowning club glory at Twickenham, Borthwick visited England Rugby HQ at the start of this week to be officially unveiled as the national team successor to Jones with immediate effect.

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As part of the deal, Kevin Sinfield, the rugby league legend he recruited at the start of his Leicester reign in the summer of 2022, will also make the move into the international fold with England and Borthwick referenced his right-hand man when asked how busy he will be in the next few weeks getting a blueprint in place ahead of a 2023 Guinness Six Nations campaign that starts with a home game versus Scotland.

“There is plenty of work to do,” he admitted ahead of his first match before he swiftly changed the conversation to Sinfield. “I am delighted Kevin has joined us. That is the first step.

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“In any of the best teams I have played in and the best teams I have coached, you have a team where the players work so hard for each other. It is never perfect. They cover for each other, help each other, celebrate with each other, lift each other up when you get knocked down. The teammates are so, so tight.

“Now if there is a person that embodies that ethos the most, Kevin Sinfield does that. Just the type of person you want in your environment. Now Kevin is a top-quality coach, he is an incredible coach. I think he is an even better human being.”

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Under Jones, England had developed a frustrating habit of making stuttering starts to blocks of fixtures. During 2022, they lost away to Scotland in their Six Nations opener at BT Murrayfield, lost the opener Test in the series away to Australia, while last month’s Autumn Nations Series opened with a Twickenham defeat to Argentina.

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Easy_Duzz-it 20 minutes ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

The world never caught up the All Blacks just went backwards . After 2015 they had a plan to build the team around 2 players . Sam Cane and Beauden Barrett , Cane was hailed as the next Mccaw and Barrett the next carter . Unfortunately Cane sustained too many injures and Barrett despite being a great ball runner didn't have a high enough conversion rate or the game management skills to control the team and the game . Then to make matters worst , the selections were so bad year after year the forward pack became shockingly weak .

New Zealand had so much talent wasted betwen 2016 - 2023 . Laumape , elliot dixon , ben tamefuna , pita gus , ben lam , vaea fifita and so many other in form players that never got a look or the time to develop into great All Blacks .


Then you have the dual playmaker system that never worked , but they kept using it . why ? cause some men cant admit when they're wrong . thats the All Blacks between 2016-2023 . wrong coaches with the wrong vision , going in the wrong direction . now it appears the world caught up . but like I said the world never caught up . then you add the obvious flawed referee calls that happen to go against us more often then for us now . the worst of which that never gets called is when the opposition use rush defence but have players offside . this has been going for years , but who cares ? .


anyway its almost 10 and i need to get some shut eye .

Go the might All Blacks !!!!

14 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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