Who is Steve Borthwick? The England coach tasked with mounting Rugby World Cup challenge

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England rugby coach Steve Borthwick
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The England rugby team has a new top dog at the helm, and it's a head coach who has been steadily rising to the top following a storied career both on and off the pitch. Former captain of the national side Steve Borthwick has transformed Leicester Tigers over the past few years, taking the Premiership's most decorated club from also-rans back to the title. Now, with just seven months until Rugby World Cup 2023, he's been tasked with doing the same for England on the biggest stage.

The RFU's sacking of Eddie Jones was seen as risky by many, not least since he was appointed as the new head coach of his native Australia within weeks of his dismissal. Borthwick's subsequent appointment is one that places immediate pressure on the former Bath, Saracens and England forward, with only the Six Nations and a few warm-up matches between now and the World Cup.

Borthwick's five-year contract suggests that he is very much the long term option for the future, with defence coach Kevin Sinfield joining him from Leicester's backroom team. Nick Evans, the ex-Harlequin, has been brought in as attack coach, while Leicester legend Richard Cockerill, forwards coach under Jones since 2021, keeps his place on the staff under the new leadership.

Only appointed in late December, Borthwick and his team have certainly been thrown in the deep end as they seek to turn England's form around. Just five wins from 12 in 2022 cost Jones his job, and with the Six Nations first up, England need to hit the ground running under their new coach if they're to have any chance of wrestling the title from France's grip ahead of the World Cup later this year. 

Steve Borthwick playing career

Born in Carlisle and raised in Preston, Borthwick played junior rugby in North West England before moving south to Bath, where he made his debut for the Premiership side in 1998. He stayed with Bath for 10 seasons in total, winning the European Challenge Cup in 2008 before joining Saracens. This move came just after his appointment as England captain for the 2008 Six Nations, which saw England finish second.

He remained captain throughout 2008, overseeing disappointing campaigns in New Zealand and at home in the autumn tests, but held the post until March 2010, when an injury brought his international career to a close. At club level, Borthwick captained Saracens to a Premiership title as well as two runners-up medals, also featuring in a Heineken Cup final before hanging up his boots in 2014, aged 34.

Borthwick: From England captain to head coach

Borthwick was already making his name as a coach while still an active player, and his close relationship with Jones, the man he's replacing in the England dugout, played a massive part. Jones was a technical advisor at Saracens when Borthwick joined the club, and clearly saw something in Borthwick, hiring him to join the Japan coaching setup in 2012 as forwards coach.

Borthwick remained Japan's forwards coach alongside Jones for three years, leading up to and including the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. That tournament featured Japan beating two-time world champions in Brighton, arguably the biggest upset in rugby's history.

When Jones was appointed England coach, Borthwick joined him, again fulfilling the role of forwards coach for five years between 2015 and 2020. That period saw England win two Six Nations titles, one Grand Slam, a test series in Australia, and reach the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. The pack played a crucial part in every England success over this time, as Borthwick's stock continued to rise.

Borthwick record as Leicester Tigers coach

Borthwick left the England setup following the 2019 World Cup to become the new head coach of Leicester Tigers, the most successful side in the history of the Premiership. However, the club had not won a title since 2013, or reached a European final since 2009.Leicester had finished their last two seasons in 11th place, hanging onto Premiership survival by the skin of their teeth and winning just 29 points in 2019-20. 

Borthwick's arrival proved transformative almost immediately though, almost doubling Tigers' points tally to 54 in 2020-21, and reaching the final of the European Challenge Cup, which they agonisingly lost 18-17 to Montpellier. Leicester's revival saw them finish sixth in the table, albeit without ever troubling the play-off places, but the continuation into 2021-22 saw the Tigers blow everyone out of the water. 

With 20 wins from 24, a points difference of +274, and 14 bonus points, the Tigers topped the table with 94 points, conceding just 52 tries all season – by far the lowest in the league. Storming past Northampton in their play-off semi-final, Leicester edged Saracens 15-12 at Twickenham in the final thanks to Freddie Burns' late drop goal. In just two years, Borthwick's steady hand and ability to get the best out of his players saw him take the Tigers from the bottom of the table, back to their long-deserted place at the top of English rugby.

Steve Borthwick return to England as coach

While Leicester under Borthwick hit heights not seen in nearly a decade, Eddie Jones' 2022 saw his England side hit their worst run of form since the Australian was first appointed in 2015. Winning only two of their five Six Nations matches saw them finish third, well behind Grand Slam winners France and runners-up Ireland.

A summer tour to Jones' home nation opened with a 30-28 defeat to the Wallabies in Perth, but England rallied in the second and third test to win 25-17 and 21-17 in consecutive weeks, taking home the series and relieving some pressure on Jones. The cracks were still there though, particularly in attack, with England scoring less tries than Australia over the course of the tests and being very reliant on the boot of Owen Farrell.

Autumn's matches proved to be Jones' last in charge, getting underway with a shock 30-29 loss to Argentina at Twickenham, in which the hosts were far from their best. A 52-13 thumping of Japan got things back on track, but England needed a minor miracle to salvage a draw from 25-6 down against New Zealand the following week. The fighting spirit to score three tries in the final eight minutes was admirable, but was soon forgotten by the Twickenham crowd after a dismal 27-13 defeat by South Africa, which ultimately proved to be Jones' final game in charge.

Within 10 days of that loss to the Springboks, Jones was axed from his post, with Borthwick hired two weeks later. Returning to the England setup after two glorious years with Leicester, the new head coach has less than a year to prepare his side for a World Cup campaign, with a hotly-contested Six Nations before that.

Rugby World Cup 2023 Countdown

Borthwick's coaching staff have largely accompanied him from Welford Road to Twickenham, most notably Sinfield, who joined the Tigers' backroom team as defence coach in 2021. Former Harlequin Nick Evans comes in as attack coach, while Richard Cockerill, Leicester's former director of rugby who was already on the books as forwards coach, will be replaced in his post following the Six Nations by Richard Wigglesworth and Aled Davies.

Borthwick's first game against Scotland didn't go according to plan though, with the Scots scoring two early tries, one a long-range stunner from Duhan van der Merwe. England hit back each time thanks to a Max Malins brace, and following an early Ellis Genge try in the second half, took the lead. Ben White replied for Scotland almost immediately though, and Van der Merwe barged his way over again late on to give the visitors their second victory on the bounce at Twickenham – a a feat that had never previously been accomplished.

Borthwick and his team have plenty to work on between now and the World Cup, with Scotland's four tries highlighting the need for better defending in particular, but gifted with the most well-stocked ranks of any nation playing rugby, Borthwick has it well within his powers to launch a charge for glory.

Under his predecessor, England got all the way to the final at the last World Cup in Japan, before being beaten by South Africa. Borthwick now has to help this team find its mojo again, and having taken Leicester from doldrums to champions, England fans will hope Borthwick's impact bears similar fruit in France.

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Jonathan is a freelance content producer for Sporting News UK.