TopTen2003
Academy Player
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2017
- Messages
- 427
- Reaction score
- 358
On the fence with Borthwick at the minute. Completely understand the people who raise concerns about leadership/inspiration, in that he is an understated guy who doesn’t - in public at least- allow emotion to get the better of him. But when you get into the likes of Martin Johnson, sometimes people mythicise his captaincy yet he was a no frills, common sense leader, so eccentric or bold isn’t always needed.
But he does seem to be an astute, details man, especially with the forwards. He knows instantly the ruck speeds, breakdown in general, and set piece details that require work. He’s always been excellent for line out work and my only doubt is whether he’s necessarily got the nouse (or coaching team) to help us lift our scrum levels, simply because it’s a very technical area of the game that requires both experience of it and the ability to understand how to get an edge or hold parity under pressure in the modern game.
If I ran the RFU, I’d want Steve Borthwick in my coaching team. I think he’d add a huge amount of value and some real insight. Would I want him leading it? Making the big conundrum decisions? Possibly not. (YET)
Given Carte Blanche RFU money? Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and Borthwick wouldn’t be far off my coaching axis.
Not a popular opinion on this forum I know but as a process-driven, business expert who knows how to enable the right people and processes to thrive, Sir Clive ought to head up the RFU because whether you think his coaching or match analysis is dated or not, the bloke pulls together business and corporate like an absolute boss and we’d be foolish to ignore it. He cares about English rugby and he wants it to succeed. It drives him insane that we allow such awful decisions to be made.
Anyway- back to the reality and the present.
I think the summer will be hugely valuable for Steve and the squad. It will allow them to get the coherence and the key parts of the game improved through time together.
To maximise the World Cup prospects, I would expect experience to prevail in selection for key positions and I would expect the game plan to be tight, accurate, and ferocious in defence, with just a small sprinkling of X-factor.
It has shades of 2007 this does- except we’ve already taken our hiding early (France 2023) instead of at the pool stage (Springboks 2007) and therefore we do get the summer camp to boil up the pot to intensity level that we have realised we must be at to compete.
I expect improvement - but I suspect the growth of an expansive game will come post RWC.
The likes of Ford, Daly, Watson, Tualagi, does have some serious test match experience behind it if we can bring them near form for RWC.
As does LCD, Lawes, Underhill, Curry in the pack.
Prop and 2nd row is where I’m most concerned for the RWC for England. If we could add some proper physicality in those areas I could see us being a stubborn nightmare for teams to knock over in the QFs if we avoid a disaster in the pool stage.
Enough of my ramblings- I needed it after a sobering 6 Nations!
But he does seem to be an astute, details man, especially with the forwards. He knows instantly the ruck speeds, breakdown in general, and set piece details that require work. He’s always been excellent for line out work and my only doubt is whether he’s necessarily got the nouse (or coaching team) to help us lift our scrum levels, simply because it’s a very technical area of the game that requires both experience of it and the ability to understand how to get an edge or hold parity under pressure in the modern game.
If I ran the RFU, I’d want Steve Borthwick in my coaching team. I think he’d add a huge amount of value and some real insight. Would I want him leading it? Making the big conundrum decisions? Possibly not. (YET)
Given Carte Blanche RFU money? Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and Borthwick wouldn’t be far off my coaching axis.
Not a popular opinion on this forum I know but as a process-driven, business expert who knows how to enable the right people and processes to thrive, Sir Clive ought to head up the RFU because whether you think his coaching or match analysis is dated or not, the bloke pulls together business and corporate like an absolute boss and we’d be foolish to ignore it. He cares about English rugby and he wants it to succeed. It drives him insane that we allow such awful decisions to be made.
Anyway- back to the reality and the present.
I think the summer will be hugely valuable for Steve and the squad. It will allow them to get the coherence and the key parts of the game improved through time together.
To maximise the World Cup prospects, I would expect experience to prevail in selection for key positions and I would expect the game plan to be tight, accurate, and ferocious in defence, with just a small sprinkling of X-factor.
It has shades of 2007 this does- except we’ve already taken our hiding early (France 2023) instead of at the pool stage (Springboks 2007) and therefore we do get the summer camp to boil up the pot to intensity level that we have realised we must be at to compete.
I expect improvement - but I suspect the growth of an expansive game will come post RWC.
The likes of Ford, Daly, Watson, Tualagi, does have some serious test match experience behind it if we can bring them near form for RWC.
As does LCD, Lawes, Underhill, Curry in the pack.
Prop and 2nd row is where I’m most concerned for the RWC for England. If we could add some proper physicality in those areas I could see us being a stubborn nightmare for teams to knock over in the QFs if we avoid a disaster in the pool stage.
Enough of my ramblings- I needed it after a sobering 6 Nations!
