Boss with weight of world on shoulders as he faces England's finest
Evening Standard|September 08, 2023
Borthwick bid risks being overshadowed by rivals passed over by RFU
Nick Purewal
Boss with weight of world on shoulders as he faces England's finest

THE most decorated, in-demand English coaches are all in France this week. The Rugby World Cup starts tonight, so of course they are. The problem is that not one of them is coaching the England rugby team.

Steve Borthwick is England boss, hurriedly thrust into the role in December when Eddie Jones was sacked for at least two wretched years - but in alarmist fashion given the proximity of the World Cup.

RFU chiefs insist Borthwick was their long-term target, and the overwhelming first choice for the role after interviewing and canvassing the views of a whopping 57 global rugby brains. Leading English lights Shaun Edwards, Andy Farrell, Mike Catt and Stuart Lancaster are all strutting their stuff in France.

That none of them would be in the frame for a role with England speaks volumes about the RFU's disarray under chief executive Bill Sweeney.

Defence supremo Edwards could spur hosts France to their first World Cup title, Farrell and Catt coach the world's top-ranked team in Ireland and Lancaster has just joined Parisian aristocrat club Racing 92. All four have slipped through RFU fingers with varying degrees of absurdity, which bites all the harder given England's chaotic World Cup preparation.

Borthwick led Leicester to the 2022 Gallagher Premiership title, and was forwards coach when England reached the 2019 World Cup final. The 43-yearold former England captain is doubtless a coach of great promise.

This story is from the September 08, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 08, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM EVENING STANDARDView All
Who is to blame for the lack of elite English managers?
The London Standard

Who is to blame for the lack of elite English managers?

Replacing Tuchel with a homegrown candidate will be no easy task

time-read
2 mins  |
January 09, 2025
Who your club will sign and sell in the January market
The London Standard

Who your club will sign and sell in the January market

Kolo Muani has more than one interested club in London, while there are big names unsettled and looking to move

time-read
7 mins  |
January 09, 2025
The debt disaster threatening to leave Londoners without a drop to drink
The London Standard

The debt disaster threatening to leave Londoners without a drop to drink

Crisis-hit Thames Water could go under in days

time-read
4 mins  |
January 09, 2025
Is 2025 the year of the first-time buyer?
The London Standard

Is 2025 the year of the first-time buyer?

This could be your best chance to buy a home in more than a decade here's where to look

time-read
5 mins  |
January 09, 2025
Kick back in the Caribbean BodyHoliday, Saint Lucia
The London Standard

Kick back in the Caribbean BodyHoliday, Saint Lucia

Green juices, beach workouts and supercharged facials: more and more of us are swapping piña coladas and indulgent food for a healthier, but no less glamorous, holiday.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 09, 2025
Dishoom's Kavi Thakraron why Mumbai is his inspiration
The London Standard

Dishoom's Kavi Thakraron why Mumbai is his inspiration

The best street food, fantastic markets and bars where the hours just disappear...the restaurateur shares his guide

time-read
5 mins  |
January 09, 2025
On the sauce - Adiamondis forever, after all
The London Standard

On the sauce - Adiamondis forever, after all

Double Diamond was supposedly Prince Philip’s favourite beer. He’s said to have enjoyed a bottle, nightly.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 09, 2025
At the table - Queen of W1 expands empire with chic Italian
The London Standard

At the table - Queen of W1 expands empire with chic Italian

I understand it's not the done thing to compare restaurateurs to murderous mob bosses, given it's rude and, well, they're notoriously litigious. But when I think of Samyukta Nair, sometimes I hear Jack Nicholson's mutterings in The Departed, Martin Scorsese's Boston gangster flick. \"I don't want to be a product of my environment,\" Nichol- son says. \"I want my environment to be a product of me.\"

time-read
3 mins  |
January 09, 2025
The Royal Academy's masterful show and mind-expanding surrealist paintings
The London Standard

The Royal Academy's masterful show and mind-expanding surrealist paintings

Known for his intricate and stunning handmade tapestries, Siributr creates these vast hangings to explore his native Thailand past and present.

time-read
1 min  |
January 09, 2025
Review - Adrien Brody's power and depth shine in this colossal epic
The London Standard

Review - Adrien Brody's power and depth shine in this colossal epic

The Brutalist, director Brady Corbet’s third feature, is a movie of such colossal size and scope it may well have been carved from marble; an epic paean to the immigrant experience in America in the wake of the Second World War.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 09, 2025