Why Steve Borthwick is the perfect choice for England captain
Last updated 12:54, Thursday, 06 November 2008
STEVE BORTHWICK is not the sort of England captain prone to ranting or banging heads in the dressing room.
Borthwick prefers to naturally command respect and commitment from his players from his own endeavours rather than demand it through thunder and rage.
The cauliflower ears and nose which looks like it has taken its fair share of beatings may be typical for someone who plies his trade in the second row, but looks are misleading in the case of the 29-year-old Cumbrian, whose mature thinking and cerebral approach to the game has always marked him out as a future England captain.
New England supremo Martin Johnson, below, could not have placed his trust in a more dedicated or reliable character for this autumn’s Investec Challenge Series, starting on Saturday when they face the Pacific Islands at Twickenham and then games against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
As far as Saracens head of rugby Eddie Jones is concerned, Borthwick is the natural choice to captain England through to the 2011 World Cup, but right up until his selection the Carlisle-born lock, who first picked up a rugby ball while at Belle Vue Junior School, refused to accept he was a certainty for the honour.
Borthwick, capped 40 times, said: “First and foremost I knew I had to earn selection to the team and then at some point they would select the captain.
“The most important thing was to be picked and anything else after that was secondary. The captaincy wasn’t even something I was thinking about.
“The biggest priority for me is playing well for my club and, if I do that, other things will follow.
“Everyone wants to play for England and I am like everyone else, I have to prove I am worthy of the honour.”
November will be no walk in the park for Borthwick since England play not only the hard men from the Pacific Islanders team on Saturday, but the three Sanzar nations on successive weekends.
There are still question marks hanging over the England squad, despite last season’s appearance in the World Cup final and the second-place finish in the RBS Six Nations Championship.
On top of all that, Borthwick is still unproven as captain and is burdened with the heavy weight of responsibility of following in the footsteps of Lawrence Dallaglio, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson, Martin Corry and Phil Vickery who have all captained England in the last five years, not to mention Johnno himself.
England’s line-out specialist led the disastrous two-match tour of New Zealand in June, which went down as one of the worst England trips in history with heavy defeats in Auckland and Christchurch and a police inquiry into the misconduct of several players.
But he earned praise for his dignity in difficult circumstances and has been rewarded with Johnson sticking loyally by him.
Borthwick said: “After New Zealand we need to improve. The results were disappointing and we need to make sure as an England team that we move forward.
“The management team is stronger than it was when we were out there as Martin Johnson wasn’t there with us. One or two players new players will be involved, but as a group we’ve got to improve in every aspect.
“To represent your country and lose two Tests was very disappointing.
“In any career you have highs and lows and times when things don’t go so well, but the key is to keep working hard and focus on what you want to achieve
“There’s a new challenge ahead of us and there’s a great opportunity to make amends.
“First and foremost we have to concentrate on the Pacific Islands and our focus shouldn’t go beyond that.”
Borthwick was born and bred in Carlisle, before his parents Bill and Jenny moved to Preston.
It was during his time in Lancashire that he rose to prominence after achieving a string of junior international honours.
In 1998 he was seen as such a talent that Bath lured him down with a contract, which he took up in conjunction with his degree at the University of Bath.
After a year he went part-time with his studies so it took him five years to graduate, but there’s no doubt he is one of the brightest sportsmen around. A 2:1 in politics and economics confirms that.
He made his debut, playing alongside Johnson, in a 48-19 victory over France in 2001, but it’s only latterly that he has established himself as a seasoned international lock.
After leading Bath into the Premiership play-offs and into the European Challenge Cup final, he left the Recreation Ground in search of a new challenge.
By then he’d earned a reputation as an uncompromising and committed player, who dedicates every waking breath to rugby and is unceasing in his quest for excellence on all fronts.
That was a package that appealed to Sarries supremo Eddie Jones who made him joint captain, and Johnson has also bought into Borthwick.
Borthwick said: “I had been at Bath for 10 seasons and the time was right for a new challenge.
“I was 28 which is a key time for a second rower as they are the peak years for a player in my position. I wanted a new challenge and the chance to play at a great club with great coaches, headed by Eddie Jones, who is one of the best coaches in the world.
“As a player, you can always learn and develop, and I want to keep learning. Being in a new environment has given me fresh impetus. We have big ambitions at Saracens, both as a team and as a club, and through that I can earn my selection for England.”
Twickenham will be packed to the rafters on Saturday when Borthwick leads England out, before Australia, South Africa and New Zealand all come to town.
He said: “It is a great honour. My three games as England captain have been away from home so to lead the team out at Twickenham will be a special moment.
“My over-riding aim is to help England get off to a winning start in the Investec Challenge series. The squad and the coaching team is excellent and I'm really looking forward to our preparation and the games over the next four weeks.”
