England head coach Steve Borthwick neither courts nor cares for public opinion and pays precious little attention to shaping his persona.
The Cumbria native can hardly be criticised for throwing all his energy into honing his England team. After all, they are about to face South Africa in tonight’s Rugby World Cup semi-final in Paris.
But the former England captain’s lack of interest in building his profile can leave supporters in the dark and that’s a shame when there is plenty to get excited about behind the scenes.
The England camp has not had such a positive mood in years. This is Borthwick’s doing, even though he would be the last one to herald such a shift.
Such brutal single-mindedness underscored a playing career as dogged as his time in coaching is proving to be.
When Borthwick took charge in December, England could not have been further away from a team capable of reaching the last-four at this World Cup.
Borthwick merits praise and respect for quickly building a credible Test framework. But any time he rejects the chance to expand on his methods, even if out of an abundance of humility, his motivations can be misinterpreted.
The man behind the desk in press conferences betrays precious little of his personality.
Behind the scenes, Borthwick is fiercely loyal, brutally honest and unremittingly dedicated.
The 43-year-old's enormous work ethic leaves those in his charge in no doubt about not just his own ambitions – but also his expectations.
Borthwick the player had a stunning capacity for endurance, both in terms of pain and physical conditioning. The coach has turned that scope towards the commitment he shows to his job as the boss.
In Borthwick, England have a boss who picks players to do what they are good at
The former Bath and Saracens lock immediately implemented a series of astute policies on taking charge of England.
Borthwick worked under his Red Rose predecessor Eddie Jones with first Japan and then England.
The Carlisle-born former lock considers Jones a mentor but has not been afraid to take England in a new direction.
In championing players’ “super strengths”, Borthwick has made a clear departure, in fact, from all of his England predecessors.
For so long, England would select a form player, then order that star to deliver in areas alien to their natural game. Scores of players over the years would win selection at Test level only to realise England did not want them to produce the skills that had got them there in the first place.
In Borthwick, England have a boss who picks players to do what they are good at. Square pegs for square holes might sound remedial, but honestly, this is revelatory in some respects for the England team.
His honesty can be startlingly brutal, with even close friends and former team-mates remarking on how in their playing days he would dismantle their performance if he considered it lacking.
But as a boss, his players love that candour – especially when underpinned by his consistency in word and deed.
Ben Earl has emerged as England’s player of the tournament, with barnstorming runs, lung-busting energy and vicious physicality. Less than eight months ago, Borthwick sat Earl down and told him he needed to be fitter, and he had to fix other elements of his game too. The proof is in the progress, precipitated by trust and honesty.
Whatever happens in Paris tonight, Borthwick has already transformed so much about England. He’s just going to leave it to others to shout about it.
