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Steve Borthwick singles out the Leicester staff member he says has especially driven recent improvements

(Photo by Getty images)

New Leicester boss Steve Borthwick has insisted the club are moving in the right direction under his baton, the former England assistant this week singling out Aled Walters, the World Cup-winning Springboks conditioning coach, for the influence he has started to wield on the fallen giants of the English club game. 

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It was last May when the Gallagher Premiership strugglers announced that the Welshman – who wound up in South Africa after working under Rassie Erasmus at Munster – would become their head of athletic performance. 

Walters linked up with Leicester during the lockdown around the same time that Borthwick began work as head coach on July 1. The Tigers won just two of their nine Premiership matches when the 2019/20 campaign resumed in August and was played to a finish in October. 

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Wales back row Dan Lydiate guests with Jamie Roberts and Dylan Hartley on the latest RugbyPass Offload

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Wales back row Dan Lydiate guests with Jamie Roberts and Dylan Hartley on the latest RugbyPass Offload

However, they have fared better so far in the 2020/21, winning four of the nine league matches they have managed to play so far in a virus-hit campaign where two of their other games were cancelled. That has been enough to lift Leicester up to eighth in the table heading into this Friday’s round twelve fixture at home to London Irish, an improvement on their successive eleventh place finishes these past two seasons.     

Asked to reflect on his time so far at Leicester, Borthwick made special mention of the role that Walters has played in implementing change. “There are foundation factors you need in rugby. To be able to move forward you need to be able to be fit, you need to be a tough, hard-working team,” explained the head coach.

“Fortunately with Aled Walters I have an incredible coach working alongside who has got the team into a good condition. We have got plenty to do and we are not on the level we need to be. We have got plenty still to develop in the team but he has done a great job to get that foundation element in place. 

“With that, there is also the foundation elements of you have got to have strong set-piece, you’ve got to have good defence. These are the foundations to help you build. Are we where we want to be right now? Not yet but I’m very clear on where we want to go, I’m very clear on the building blocks that we need to take to be able to get there.”

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A particular stumbling block this winter has been the limited time that Borthwick – who has been linked with a 2021 Lions tour assistant’s job – has had with his entire squad at his disposal. “In terms of where we are over this last period, I have been in place about seven months now, you have the plans in place and if you write one plan you are probably a fool because things change very, very quickly so you usually have about three different plans,” said the head coach in a week when Leicester announced the appointment of Leigh Jones as their new general manager of rugby.

“For an example with that when we were planning this season we didn’t know that our internationals were going to be missing for this spell, for this period of time. What are we now, we’re going into round twelve this weekend, played two European games, and out of those 14 games our internationals have played less than a game-and-a-half for us, so you have got some top quality players there who haven’t played. 

“I’m proud of them that they have the opportunity to play for England, I’m delighted for them. Then we have a three-week pre-season before this season and we have a Covid outbreak, so we did a week of it and then during that window when I had the internationals back and I got the squad together, the first time I got the squad together, there was another Covid outbreak. 

“In the time I have been here I have had this squad together for one week. So what I would say with that is we are constantly trying to keep moving and keep making progress and what we have got to do is keep being adaptable and flexible to the different scenarios we find ourselves in. That is going to be something for some time now. Do I think we are making progress? Yes, we are making progress.”

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J
JPM 54 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 56 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

12 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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