The Albany Gazette - Quiet man Borthwick completes England ascent

Borthwick cut his teeth as a coach working as an assistant to Jones when the veteran Australian boss was in charge of both Japan and then England.

But now he has taken over from his mentor, with the 62-year-old Jones sacked some nine months out from the World Cup in France after England won just five out of 12 Tests in 2022 -- their worst annual return in 14 years.

Whereas the voluble Jones was never capped at international level while playing as a hooker for Sydney club Randwick, the far less demonstrative Borthwick made 57 Test appearances for England as a lock with both Bath and Saracens.

The 43-year-old also captained England for the final two years of his international career.

As a player, Borthwick developed a reputation as a thoughtful line-out specialist as well as a no-nonsense second row.

He helped establish Saracens as one of the leading clubs in England and during his time with the north London side he took his first steps as a coach.

Following his retirement, he worked under Jones as forwards coach of a Japan side who produced one of the all-time great shocks in rugby union history by beating South Africa at the 2015 World Cup in England.

It was after that tournament, where hosts England suffered an embarrassing first-round exit, the RFU recruited Jones, with the former Wallabies boss soon adding Borthwick to his backroom staff.

The four years the pair were together in the England set-up yielded a Grand Slam, a Six Nations title and an appearance in a World Cup final before Borthwick left Twickenham to take charge of fallen giants Leicester.

As England's results started to decline, Borthwick oversaw a Leicester revival that culminated in the Tigers being crowned Premiership champions following victory over Saracens in last season's final.

- 'Steve is different' -

South Africa's 2019 World Cup winning fly-half Handre Pollard, who joined Leicester in pre-season, said Borthwick was unlike any other coach he had known.

"Steve is different," explained Pollard. "I've not seen anyone like him before. He really dives into the technical and analytical side of rugby, which is pretty cool...He doesn't speak too much but his all-round personality means you know where you stand with him."

Borthwick is also unlikely to cause problems, as Jones did, for his new employers with commercial side deals or outspoken references to the "scummy Irish".

He will, however, only have the upcoming Six Nations, which England begin at home to Scotland on February 4, and a few warm-up games before the World Cup gets underway.

But after all the sound and fury of the Jones era, marked by numerous changes of playing and support staff, the RFU can now expect Borthwick to create a calmer and more stable environment for the England squad.

(A.Berg--BBZ)