Steve Borthwick worked under Eddie Jones for eight years with Japan and England; Borthwick transformed Leicester as the Tigers claimed the 2021-22 Premiership title; Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield expected to play influential role after joining Borthwick's staff as defence coach
Tuesday 20 December 2022 07:02, UK
Steve Borthwick has taken charge of England just nine months out from the World Cup, but who is the man succeeding Eddie Jones?
The former England captain began his transition to coaching in the latter stages of his playing career, beginning work in an ad-hoc capacity for Jones in 2012 while the Australian was in charge if Japan.
When Borthwick did finally hang up his boots in 2014, he was formally appointed as the Cherry Blossoms' forwards coach ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
Japan produced the shock of the tournament by beating South Africa 34-32 in a group stage thriller, with the victory so special that a film, named 'The Brighton Miracle' would later be made about it.
Despite further creditable wins over Samoa and the United States, a heavy defeat to Scotland prevented the Jones-Borthwick partnership advancing to the knockouts, but they would soon be back on the big stage.
The duo's success didn't go unnoticed, and they were snapped up by a reeling England after the hosts group stage exit, with Borthwick once more working as forwards coach under Jones.
The new coaching team brought about a revival and made England a ruthless machine in 2016, as they sealed a Six Nations Grand Slam triumph.
England, built around the relentless and physical play of their forwards, would establish themselves as one of the best teams in the world ahead of the 2019 World Cup, but fell agonisingly short as they lost in the final to South Africa.
After England's heartbreak in Japan, Borthwick swapped the international scene for the Premiership in 2020, initially becoming head coach under Geordan Murphy at Leicester Tigers.
Murphy's departure before the end of the year saw Borthwick promoted to director of rugby, the position from which he spearheaded a transformation that saw Leicester go from second from bottom at the end of the 2019-20 season to Premiership champions last season.
Borthwick's swift and huge impact at domestic level that also included an earlier coaching stint with former club Saracens, along with his international experience as a player and coach under Jones, was enough to convince the RFU the 43-year-old was the right man to succeed the Australian.
As was widely expected, Borthwick has brought Rugby League legend and his Tigers defence coach Kevin Sinfield with him to the England setup.
Sinfield joined Leicester in 2021 after departing his role as director of rugby at Leeds Rhinos, the club at which he lifted seven Super League trophies.
The 42-year-old, who also made a combined 40 appearances for England and Great Britain's rugby league sides, had an instant impact at Welford Road.
Speaking about Sinfield's influence during Leicester's title-winning season, Borthwick pointed to the Leeds legend's man-management skills.
"In terms of the defensive systems, there isn't that much difference but what Kevin brings to the coaching side are man-management and leadership," Borthwick said. "He has added a lot from the defensive point of view, but the way he is managing and interacting with players is superb.
"The players want to play for him and he adds all kinds of things working with the kickers, the front row forwards and he also has the ability with his skill set to work with our distributors in the attack. The defence and attack coaches are working hand in hand."
Along with his decorated professional career, Sinfield has been honoured for his fundraising work, which has seen him raise more than £7m in support of his former Leeds team-mate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Sinfield was awarded an MBE in 2014 for his services to rugby league, and an OBE in 2021 for both his sporting and fundraising efforts.
Reacting to his appointment, Sinfield said: "There is so much player talent in England and I am really looking forward to working with the wider squad of players to see what we can achieve together, especially with such a massive year ahead of us."
With the top job comes an immense amount of pressure and with the Rugby World Cup just nine months away, there is not much time for Borthwick to get things right.
After the Six Nations, which England begin by hosting Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday February 4, Borthwick has just four warm-up games before heading to France.
The first factor in Borthwick's favour is that having been part of the England setup during the last World Cup cycle, he is familiar with the majority of the squad and all that comes with being a coach in modern day international rugby.
Secondly, his impact at Leicester after being promoted to the top job was near instant. While a World Cup win seems a long a way off for England after a humbling 2022, a strong Six Nations campaign could reignite hopes of an unlikely challenge for the Webb Ellis Cup.
Some questioned the appointment of Borthwick due to the fact he is unlikely to significantly alter England's playing style, which has come in for criticism at several stages of Jones' tenure.
While it may disappoint some onlookers that England won't suddenly embrace a free-flowing game, the reality is that making major changes with such little time between now and the World Cup would be extremely risky.
Perhaps the biggest selection issue facing Borthwick is in England's midfield, where he must decide whether to continue to deploy Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell together, or opt to play one of the fly-half options alongside two traditional centres.
That decision could impact who Borthwick selects to be his captain, with Jones having replaced Farrell with Courtney Lawes earlier this year.
