Senior figures at the Rugby Football Union are said to be unimpressed with the siege mentality approach adopted by Steve Borthwick after England booked their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup, amid concerns supporters are being alienated.
After England’s 30-24 quarter-final win over Fiji in Marseille, Borthwick said “I don’t really care what other people think of us,” in reference to whether his side were underdogs. Before the match, Borthwick and the captain, Owen Farrell, were booed in Marseille when they appeared on the big screen before kick-off with the attack coach, Richard Wigglesworth, blaming the fact that “the minority are always the loudest”.
Borthwick identified reconnecting his side with supporters, who had grown tired of Eddie Jones’s approach, as one of his first major tasks when appointed in December but he has enjoyed mixed success to date. Against Argentina, in their opening match of the tournament, there was raucous support for their 14-man victory but there were also 6,000 empty seats for their quarter-final. For England’s last match before heading to France, the defeat by Fiji, the RFU kept the top tier of Twickenham shut due to sluggish ticket sales.
After his final match in charge, the November 2022 defeat by South Africa, Jones made a similar comment, saying “I don’t care what other people think,” which is thought to have gone down particularly badly at Twickenham.
It is not known whether Borthwick was spoken to about his comments by his employers but, when announcing his team for Saturday’s semi-final against the Springboks, the head coach’s opening remarks were in praise of England’s fans.
“We’re all really looking forward to it,” said Borthwick. “Our supporters are looking forward to it, the players are looking forward to it. I hear tens of thousands of people are coming across to this game in Paris. It’s brilliant. We’re here in Paris. It’s the first time the England team has been here in this tournament. There’s a special atmosphere and a special feeling being in Paris ahead of this semi-final.
“Our supporters have been incredible for us. From that first game of the tournament all the way through. After the game last weekend, all of the fans came down pitchside. They were loving it. I hope those of them who are going to come over and cheer this team on have a great weekend.”
