The most worrying sign of this follows the bombshell decision this week by Felix Jones, a double World Cup-winning assistant coach with South Africa, to leave the England set-up after only seven months.
The bid by the Irishman, whose credentials as an talented attack/defence strategist have taken him to the top of the coaching ladder, to extricate himself from his RFU contract so soon is a body blow to Borthwick’s attempts to turn England back into a leading international force.
The blow was even more damaging because it came so soon after strength & conditioning specialist Aled Walters walked through the Twickenham exit straight into a job with Ireland. This suggests that unless he had a break clause with England, the IRFU bought him out of his RFU contract.
Walters’ timing could not have been worse from a Red Rose perspective. The influential performance guru of the 2019 South African World Cup winning side – who is a close to Jones since their days at Munster – left his England job just two days after it was announced that Tom Tombleson, his fellow strength & conditioning colleague, had been released following a pre-season Borthwick reshuffle.
The departure of the now unemployed Tombleson, who had been a popular member of the England support staff for a decade, had a domino effect. With Walters and Jones following-on, the three-man coaching exodus in under three weeks in August rocked Twickenham to the core.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 01, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 01, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Morris hat-trick lifts Steelmen
HOOKER Ieuan Morris came off the bench to settle matters for Ebbw Vale at Carmarthen Quins with his stunning second half hat-trick completing a 39-11 victory in Super Rygbi Cymru.
Joe keen to follow in family footsteps
JOE Ford is leading the charge to take Doncaster Knights to the promised land but says they have a long way to go before that becomes reality.
Robson keen to make it to the top with Coventry
COVENTRY ended the first five-match block of fixtures as the Championship’s only unbeaten side and full-back Charlie Robson has his sights set on promotion, and eventually playing for England.
Hancox joins the 200 club
AFTER 10 years of donning the red, black and yellow shirt for Bournemouth, skipper Grant Hancox made his 200th appearance this month after their Regional 2 South Central clash against Winchester.
Bear keen to be a big hit Down Under
FORMER Cornish Pirates back row Bear Williams has flourished in making the difficult transition from rugby union to league and has plans to play in Australia’s NRL. `
To play in two World Cups was a dream
RUGBY started quite late for me.
Call time on this pantomime ploy
THIS 60-second shot clock twaddle. If we must continue to plough down this blind alley it needs to apply from the moment the referee awards the penalty. If the authorities are going to put some stick about at least do it properly and with conviction.
Coetzee's pulling his weight again
WHETHER he starts or comes off the bench, Jaco Coetzee is just happy to be contributing fully to Bath’s revival after an injury-hit start to his career in blue, black and white.
Murray's on a wing - and a prayer ...
BLAIR Murray began the week ‘in a state of shock’ at having gone from nowhere on one side of the world to the starting grid for the autumn Tests on the other.
We need to kick on after winning at last
Paul Rees talks to Ethan Grayson who heard from two rugby legends after he helped Newcastle end their 25-match losing run