Steve Borthwick, the new England head coach, pledged to bring the joy back to Twickenham after being named as Eddie Jones’s successor on a five-year contract on Tuesday.
Borthwick admitted the players were “hurting” after an autumn which produced only a victory over Japan and promised that England’sfocus would be on winning every game, not just in the World Cup.
Borthwick was unveiled less than 48 hours after his final game in charge of Leicester, having told the Rugby Football Union on Saturday that he would take the job.
Richard Wigglesworth has been named interim head coach of Leicester and has retired as a player.
Borthwick explained: “As a coach what I want to do is produce a team that delivers. I think that’s what supporters want. I promise you I’ll lead in a real, authentic way. I love winning. Every game matters, every single game matters.
“The other thing I really love about coaching and the way I lead, is I really like helping people, I really care for the people I coach.
“The thing that strikes me is how much the players are hurting. We can all see that ... and I have been in touch with players that I have known for a long, long time and I know how much they are hurting because they really, really care, want to do well. So to not achieve what they wanted to, to lose the games the way it was, they hurt.
“What we need to do is make sure the pain they are feeling, we transform that from the start of the Six Nations and put everything into the performances on the pitch.”
Steve Borthwick speaks to the media after being named England coach. Photo / AP
The former England captain noted that there were only 47 days between his unveiling and England’s opening game of the Six Nations. Asked how he would go about turning England around so quickly, Borthwick recalled a poster from his time as a player which Sir Clive Woodward had up on the walls of a training camp.
He said: “There was one that said ‘brilliant basics’. We have a lot of work to do, but first and foremost we have to be brilliant at the basics come that first game in 47 days.”
Kevin Sinfield was confirmed as Borthwick’s assistant, joining from Leicester, but missed Monday’s press conference to attend Doddie Weir’s memorial service.
Borthwick reflected on England’s recent performances by highlighting that they were outside the top three in every facet of the game in the autumn. Sinfield is viewed by Borthwick as integral to setting the right tone in terms of the squad’s work ethic.
“In any of the best teams I have played in and coached, you have a team where the players work so hard for each other. It’s never perfect, they cover for each other, help each other, celebrate with each other and lift each other up when they get knocked down. They’re so tight. If there’s a person that embodies that ethos, it’s Kevin. He is a top-quality coach. He’s an even better human being.”
Borthwick said all players were starting from a “clean slate”, but as only five changes can be made to the Elite Player Squad next month, he has little room for manoeuvre.
There is also a decision to be made on the captaincy, with Courtney Lawes fit again having missed the autumn, when Owen Farrell led the side.
