England great accuses Steve Borthwick of ‘nepotism’ after latest staff reshuffle and calls for ‘inquiry’
England boss Steve Borthwick with assistant Richard Wigglesworth (inset)
Ex-England hooker Brian Moore has expressed concern about Steve Borthwick’s latest backroom staff changes, claiming there are “too many questions raised for them to be accepted without inquiry”.
Saturday’s announcement that Premiership title-winning Bath assistant Lee Blackett has joined England as their new attack coach ahead of the four-game November series was warmly welcomed.
Blackett was part of the England staff for the summer tour of the Americas that included a 2-0 series win over Argentina.
Fans enjoyed what the ex-Wasps boss did regarding England’s general creativity with the ball in a role he was given temporarily due to Richard Wigglesworth working with Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions.
“Are these roles really interchangeable?”
So impressed was England boss Borthwick that he returned from the tour wanting the RFU to engineer a compensation deal to secure Blackett’s services from Bath on a full-time basis.
Confirmation that a deal was struck to bring Blackett permanently into the England team arrived on Saturday ahead of this week’s three-day mini-camp, but his appointment triggered a reshuffle with some other assistant coaches.
Wigglesworth, the senior assistant coach who was in charge of the attack, has now been moved to defence, a decision that resulted in Joe El-Abd, who was only appointed defence coach last November following the abrupt departure of Felix Jones, switching to work with the forwards.
It was also confirmed that Andrew Strawbridge, the Kiwi who had been coaching the contact area in attack and defence, will step away following the November series featuring matches against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.
It’s a change-up that Moore, the 1991 Rugby World Cup finalist, has likened to a government cabinet reshuffle and he posed plenty of questions about it in his latest Telegraph column.
Referencing the revolving assistants door of the Eddie Jones era in his introduction, Moore observed: “We expected a more traditional approach to succession planning under Steve Borthwick, the present head coach; a man known for his cautious and careful management style.
“Although the turnover has not been as rapid, there remains an element of randomness that makes you wonder where England are going with their coaching set-up and doubt the basis on which appointments are made.”
After praising the credentials of Blackett, he questioned the value of Wigglesworth, whose only defence coaching experience came with Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and El-Abd, the former Oyonnax boss, in their new roles.
“Wigglesworth, who left for a summer with the British and Irish Lions, returned to find that his job was now occupied by Blackett and he has been moved to defence coach. Joe El-Abd’s very short reign in that role has ended and he will now work with the forwards.
“In a normal appointment process, you search for all available talent and choose the best person. If Wigglesworth and El-Abd were the best for their roles when picked, why are they now so easily shifted to completely different positions?
“El-Abd had little time to make an impression as defence coach and did not do so – what makes him the best qualified coach available to look after the England forwards? When viewed against a true defensive specialist coach like Shaun Edwards, it is hard to argue that Wigglesworth is remotely comparable.
“Are these roles really interchangeable? Can any competent coach just pick up a new brief? If so, they are not the highly specialised roles we have been led to believe and, presumably, they need not be as highly rewarded as truly singular specialities would be.
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“Is this latest set of changes a strategic move to solidify England’s coaching team or merely the result of having to shift people to accommodate Blackett’s appointment?
“This could be seen as a demonstration of loyalty from Borthwick to old friends and team-mates (Wigglesworth and El-Abd), and loyalty is a worthy characteristic, but when is it straying into nepotism?
“Alternatively, is the real reason behind all these moves the need to avoid paying out the contracts of coaches, who would otherwise have been let go?
“Whatever the truth, these changes do not give the impression of change through planning and evolution. There are too many questions raised for them to be accepted without inquiry and if, as I presume will be claimed, they are logical and beneficial, answers to all these questions will be forthcoming.”
