The next three weeks are vital for Steve Borthwick – and in my view, England’s last two losses will prove to be the making of him and this team.
For that to happen, he could do a lot worse than start with Nelson Mandela.
There’s a famous quote from Mandela that I love and have always used. ‘I never lose,’ he once said. ‘I either win or I learn.’
If Borthwick can lean into that message after two awful Six Nations defeats by Scotland and Ireland, it could be very, very powerful.
I do a lot of public speaking and one of my favourite presentations is called ‘success from setbacks’. It’s popular because it resonates with so many people.
No one wins all the time and setbacks happen, but it’s how you respond that defines whether or not you are a champion individual, team or organisation.
The next three weeks are vital for Steve Borthwick – and in my view, England’s last two losses will prove to be the making of him and this team
No one wins all the time and setbacks happen, but it’s how you respond that defines whether or not you are a champion individual, team or organisation
The first concept he must understand is called the window and the mirror. As an international rugby coach or a business leader, you tend to look in the mirror when things are going well – it’s human nature to give yourself a pat on the back for the success you’re having.
But when trouble strikes, those at the helm of an organisation tend to look through the window, blaming others for what has gone on and failing to take accountability. The absolute key to turning setbacks into success is to flip that entirely.
Ahead of what is now a huge game with Italy in Rome, Borthwick must look in the mirror and take full responsibility for what has happened. His players haven’t performed in their past two matches but as the man at the top, there is no point him looking through the window and blaming others.
The knives are out for him after his team’s sudden run of poor form. English rugby fans have been left hugely disappointed and many are very angry that another Six Nations title bid has gone by the wayside.
I’ve been in Borthwick’s shoes and I can assure you it is not nice. We lost three potential Grand Slam clinchers in as many years and were humiliated on our ‘Tour from Hell’ in 1998. The worst moment, however, came when the England side I coached exited the 1999 World Cup at the quarter-final stage.
I copped it from all angles. I was targeted by the media and past players who wanted me out of the head coach role. There’s no doubt some members of the RFU committee were also looking for a change.
I survived because I looked to the mirror not the window, taking accountability for my team’s failures. Every member of my team did the same and took responsibility. They did not blame me or try to throw me under the bus. Together, we proved we could turn setbacks into success.
After the 1999 World Cup, I went to bed for a week. I was utterly exhausted and I’m not afraid to admit, embarrassed. Eventually I got out of bed, took my frustration out on the golf net, and returned to Twickenham with a plan.
After the 1999 World Cup, I went to bed for a week. I was utterly exhausted and I’m not afraid to admit, embarrassed
I look at the England system today and wonder what Borthwick would change and how well supported he is to do so. Specifically, I look at the overseas players rule. I’ve been consistent in saying it is a nonsense.
I’d love for Tom and Jack Willis to be playing in this Six Nations. While English players cannot move abroad and continue to play Tests, their spots are taken by South African players at home. This directly impacts the depth England has in positions like hooker and prop.
Are England’s central contracts making for too cosy an environment? If so, take them away tomorrow and rethink the structure. I looked over at the Ireland bench last Saturday and saw Paul O’Connell, Johnny Sexton and Simon Easterby alongside Andy Farrell. Wow.
England’s backroom has had little consistency dating back to the Eddie Jones era. Borthwick and England must break the bank to create a similar line-up. The most successful Englishman in Six Nations history is Shaun Edwards, but he’s been doing it for Wales and now France. Why?!
These issues are too big to solve in the next fortnight, but Borthwick must look in the mirror and ask if he is really getting what he needs. If the answer is no, then he must break the system to get it.
The key question is whether the RFU’s bigwigs can do the same. I know in football that a vote of confidence in a manager from a club’s chief executive or chairman is seen as something that only happens just before they get sacked. But rugby is not like football.
I’d like to see RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney and performance director Conor O’Shea show their support for Borthwick, because he needs help. He is still an inexperienced Test coach and from where I am sitting, seems to be very much on his own.
When I was in this position, I got significant support from Francis Baron, Fran Cotton and Cliff Brittle. Their support not only meant a great deal personally but made a huge difference. I don’t see the RFU doing the same for Borthwick. Everyone at the RFU has to take responsibility for England’s Six Nations. It’s not just on the head coach and he can’t be left as a lone target for criticism.
When I was in this position, I got significant support from the likes of Francis Baron, Fran Cotton (centre) and Cliff Brittle (left)
| Pl | W | L | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | 3 | 0 | +89 | 3 | 15 |
| Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 | +11 | 3 | 11 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 1 | +6 | 1 | 9 |
| England | 3 | 1 | 2 | +9 | 1 | 5 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 2 | -29 | 1 | 5 |
| Wales | 3 | 0 | 3 | -86 | 1 | 1 |
I was acutely aware after 1999 that we didn’t have enough leaders and worse, some players had a negative impact.
From the outside, I do not think this England team has any negative influences, but perhaps there are some distractions and evidence of players taking their foot off the gas with 12 wins behind them.
Borthwick needs his leaders to stand up. In rugby, you can be an energiser or an energy-sapper, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out which you want. There can be no doubt that England’s senior players have underperformed badly in this Six Nations.
In the likes of Maro Itoje, George Ford, Ellis Genge and Jamie George, Borthwick is fortunate to be able to call on strong leaders. But Ireland came to their back yard and made a mockery of them, and Scotland outplayed them in every department. Now, Italy will think they can too next week.
It seems the thing to do in these situations is have a ‘brutally honest’ meeting where everyone ‘has a voice’. I don’t really want to hear any of that. I’d rather hear that Borthwick has read the riot act and sent the players away for 48 hours before getting back to work.
I was with Lawrence Dallaglio last Saturday and he was going absolutely crazy at the poor level of England’s performance against Ireland. Many of the supporters left early and there was sarcastic cheering when Ford made kicks to touch successfully. That was not nice to hear.
I was as disappointed as anyone by what I saw against the Irish, but I look at England’s current plight with a calm head. That’s what you have to do as a coach. You can’t change what’s happened. You can only try to fix it.
The trip to Rome next Saturday is daunting – the Azzurri are now a very dangerous team. Every non-English fan will want Italy to win, but what an opportunity for England to turn this around.
The trip to Rome next Saturday is daunting – the Azzurri are now a very dangerous team
A defining fortnight awaits Borthwick. If he turns England around, then he will be all the better for the experience. He is more than capable of it – write him and England off at your peril!
On the pitch, they need to get back to basics. There’s a lot of talk about team changes, but really it’s immaterial who the fly-half is if England can’t do the basics – scrum, lineout, restarts, defence and playing with real pace.
England’s scrum has been good but the other four areas have been very poor. The Scotland and Ireland performances were riddled with basic errors and no team can win a Test match without a functioning lineout.
This week, the first speaking engagement I had after watching England being hammered by Ireland was in, of all places, at Carton House in Dublin, where Ireland train. You couldn’t make it up! It was the last place I thought I wanted to go after the weekend, but on reflection it was the best. I talked about ‘success from setbacks’, the importance of resilience and overcoming the odds in times of great difficulty. That is what Borthwick must do now.
A defining fortnight awaits him. If he turns England around from what has been a dreadful last two games, then he will be all the better for the experience. He is more than capable of it – write him and England off at your peril!