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England duo making strides

Monday 14th July 2008

Tunnel to Saracens: Borthwick settling in well

England captain Steve Borthwick has revealed he is loving life at new club Saracens and looking to improve their standing over the coming seasons.

The 28-year-old lock, who is currently enjoying some warm-weather training under the guidance of boss Eddie Jones out in Portugal, has only had three weeks' rest following his country's recent exertions in New Zealand.

Yet despite his busy schedule of recent club and international rugby, Borthwick admitted he was desperate to arrive at the Vicarage Road outfit as soon as possible so as to settle in with his new team-mates.

"As soon as I met with Eddie Jones and heard his vision for Saracens, I knew it was something that I wanted to be part of," he explained, speaking to the club's official website.

"Saracens have been moving forward for the past two years in making the semi-finals of four competitions in two years and with Eddie coming to the club, things are in place to take the next step and it's going to be exciting to be part of it.

"At 28 as a second row, the next few seasons are my peak years. To join a club like this which shares my ambitions was something that I couldn't say no to.

"Bath will always have a special place in my heart and it was a big decision for me to leave after ten years. It's been a huge part of my life especially as I was also captain of the club, but the time was right for me to do something else.

"Saracens have signed me to continue to do what I have been doing and to do that very well. But I always want to improve as a player and having a new club to work with will help in that challenge. I want to get better."

Meanwhile, fellow international and Gloucester back James Simpson-Daniel is recovering on schedule from his recent shoulder surgery.

The balanced runner, who missed out on the 2-0 Test whitewash against the All Blacks due to the problem, is expecting to be fit for the start of the Cherry and Whites' new Premiership assault.

"I saw the surgeon last week on a follow-up check from when I had the op and he was really happy," he said, speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"I've had no reaction so I'm training a little bit more aggressively now and fingers crossed for mid-August."

Yet the 26-year-old centre or wing has explained that although he's hungry to get back playing, there is a wider picture to his recovery process.

"There's no immediate hurry because it's not like we're mid-season and I need to try and get back for a big game or anything," he explained.

"Hopefully I'll start hitting some shields or whatever in the next few weeks. We'll see what my physio says.

"We've still got plenty of time until the first game of the season, but I'm ahead of schedule."

Elsewhere in the competition, Bath have announced Paul Bunce as their new Head of Strength and Conditioning.

Bunce, who has already begun work with the European Challenge Cup winners over recent weeks, joins the Recreation Ground from the Dragons after two seasons in Wales.