Steve Borthwick has backed Maro Itoje to steer England into the 2027 Rugby World Cup and stated it’s his functionality to be calm within the face of stress which has seen him elevated to captain of the workforce.
Borthwick provided Itoje, 30, the England captaincy on Monday. Borthwick solely thought-about altering the captaincy after the autumn internationals, switching the honour from Jamie George to Itoje.
George, 34, had captained England because the begin of final 12 months’s Six Nations, however Borthwick stated there have been a number of components behind the choice to switch the captaincy over to his Saracens teammate.
One issue was Itoje’s potential to play 80 minutes, whereas the competitors at hooker meant George’s place within the workforce was now not assured. One other consideration was Borthwick’s perception that Itoje might carry the captaincy by means of to the following World Cup.
Borthwick stated when he informed Itoje he was going to captain England, “the smile that unfold throughout his face might have lit up the entire of England.”
Borthwick believes Itoje is a “actually world-class participant.”
“After I got here again into the England squad as head coach two years in the past it struck me with Maro that he thinks rather well below stress,” Borthwick stated. “He stays calm below stress. He is a man who’s diligent and the way in which he goes about his work each single day is top quality.
“All people will captain in their very own distinctive approach. That is an vital aspect. After I chatted to Maro, I stated I needed him to captain his approach. Each England supporter sees the dedication with which he performs. When you might have someone that fights that onerous for the shirt and for his workforce, it is someone everybody can relate to. It is ‘I might need to be led by that man.’ That is the character with which he performs the sport.
“He additionally has this stability, the place he thinks the sport by means of rather well. He is a wonderful chief of the lineout, and within the ahead pack.”
Itoje’s promotion meant Borthwick wanted to have a tricky chat with George. George was Borthwick’s second England captain, following on from Owen Farrell who led England into the 2023 World Cup. George skippered England by means of final 12 months’s Six Nations, the tour of Japan and New Zealand, after which the autumn nations collection. However George’s place is in query amid spectacular kind from each Luke Cowan-Dickie and Theo Dan.
“Jamie is someone I’ve identified for a really very long time, and he is a beautiful rugby participant and I feel for such a very long time now, he is been central on this England workforce and such an unbelievable affect in English rugby,” Borthwick stated.
“It was a difficult dialog. He was clearly disenchanted however on the similar cut-off date, he is additionally at all times placing the workforce first. So we spoke various occasions, and yeah, I might say he is disenchanted as a result of he is a proud Englishman who was very proud to be captain of this workforce.”
One different powerful choice might be who England choose at fly-half, with Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and George Ford all within the combine. Marcus Smith has been used as each at fly-half and fullback by Borthwick, however the England coach sees the Quins playmaker as a No. 10 at the start.
“I feel Marcus is a ten who can play 15. And I feel that that is a dialog I had with Marcus,” Borthwick stated. “I feel he sees that the identical approach. I do know his most well-liked place is 10. I additionally see, we mentioned this at size, is a participant who in house is extremely harmful. Having that versatility is actually vital.”
Elsewhere within the squad, there is no place for Dan Cole, however Borthwick insisted the door is just not shut on the 37-year-old veteran tight-head.
“I’ve had various conversations with Dan and after I spoke to him yesterday and had the dialog with him, it was ‘be sure that your cellphone is on and you might be in good situation, as a result of I want you to be prepared,'” Borthwick stated. “He has completely assured me that he might be able to go.”
On the different finish of Check expertise, Harlequins duo Cadan Murley, 25, and Oscar Beard, 23, are included within the squad and will win their debuts within the Six Nations. “Cadan’s a younger man who had a tricky interval of a number of knocks, again to again, and now being match and wholesome, you see the way in which he is taking part in… you see that tempo and evasiveness he has coming to the fore once more,” Borthwick stated.
“Oscar Beard is a robust, highly effective ball service, he is bought an excellent kicking sport as nicely.”
After which there’s Tom Willis. He has been one of many standout back-rowers within the Gallagher Premiership this season and whereas there is no Sam Underhill — who will miss the Six Nations by means of damage — Willis is more likely to be given his probability to impress.
“Tom is a participant I’ve revered for a very long time,” Borthwick stated. “I feel he is come again to England and I talked to him concerning the velocity of Check rugby and the motion required of Check rugby and he is gone away and each report I get from him at Saracens is how a lot work he has put in to creating that velocity, creating that motion, creating that agility.
“He is at all times been a formidable ball service and, and a tricky tackling participant. Gamers with that stage of starvation, that stage of need is precisely the sort participant I need on this, on this England squad.”
It is going to be evolution moderately than revolution for England on this Six Nations. Count on to see some tweaks to their defensive system, however there’ll nonetheless be some parts of the blitz tactic they used final 12 months. “If we had been characterised in 2024 as a workforce with line velocity, I need us to be a workforce with line velocity as we proceed,” Borthwick stated. “Clearly, there are bits in each space of the sport that you simply amend and evolve to enhance and I count on that to be the case as quickly as we get the gamers into camp subsequent week.”
And he desires England to proceed attacking with intent, saying he feels the backline is “coming collectively” and one which has “bought tempo.”
“I’ve talked concerning the nature of the workforce altering, and England traditionally are a workforce with a giant ahead pack,” Borthwick stated. “I feel that has modified slightly bit. We have a quick, athletic backrow, quick, athletic backs and we’ll play accordingly.”
