At England’s World Cup training camp, Steve Borthwick is not one for cloak and dagger (or hoods for that matter). As someone who narrowly missed out on the 2003 World Cup squad, having been part of the wider group, Borthwick is determined to be as upfront as possible with his players. He has held countless meetings with them, explaining where they are in the pecking order and as the 41 members of his first major squad convene on Sunday, he is sure to do so again.
“I believe players want to know exactly where they stand,” Borthwick says. “In week one and two, we had players come in and I sat with them straight away and said: ‘This is where you stand and this is what I think you need to do to move forward.’ That’s the first thing I do. Why? As a player, I always remember that I wanted to know what I needed to do. I didn’t want ambiguity. My job was to get on with rugby and train, not to be second-guessing anything.”
