Sir Clive Woodward: England’s ‘sobering’ defeat to Fiji ‘has been coming for years’

Rugby World Cup-winning head coach Sir Clive Woodward was not surprised by England’s defeat to Fiji on Saturday.

Woodward wrote in his Daily Mail column that he ‘feels sorry’ for Steve Borthwick and that he was not necessarily to blame for the loss.

The Red Rose succumbed to a tier two team for the first time ever when they went down 30-22 to Fiji at Twickenham.

From bad to worse

They have already endured a torrid build-up to the global tournament, but England are now at their lowest ebb following this latest loss.

“Saturday’s first defeat by Fiji in front of a very poor Twickenham crowd was a hugely sobering day for English rugby,” Woodward wrote.

“It was one that has been coming for years. The current predicament has not just happened overnight and it’s been left to Steve Borthwick to pick up the pieces.

“I feel sorry for Borthwick that he is in this position but he cannot hide away. He cannot control what has happened with England in the past. But he can control the present and the future.”

This is not the first time that England have been in the doldrums, and Woodward recalled their infamous 1998 tour to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Tour of Hell

It started with a 76-0 thrashing of the Wallabies in Brisbane, and it didn’t get much better after that, as they lost every match during that month down under.

However, things soon improved, and it culminated in them winning the 2003 World Cup.

“It is a difficult position to be in as a coach when it feels as if everything is going wrong. I’ve been there with England. The 1998 ‘Tour of Hell’ saw us hammered by each team we faced,” Woodward wrote.

“Back then, we were heavily criticised by the press and rightly so. If I was in Borthwick’s shoes now, I’d accept the media scrutiny and tell the players to do the same.”

Although the former England head coach is reserving judgment on Borthwick’s capabilities, the 67-year-old believes that this upcoming period will be a key test of whether he will succeed in the role.

“This is where we will find out if Borthwick can step up and lead,” he added.

“He needs to be strong in front of the media and deliver firm messages in the face of adversity. We haven’t seen that from him yet.

“Borthwick needs to show his presence in public and prove why he is the right man for the job.”

What Borthwick needs to do

Woodward also highlighted a couple of key areas Borthwick needs to look at if they are to give themselves an opportunity of being competitive at the World Cup.

He explained: “England are playing far too conservatively. They kick way too often and do so even when they are in the attacking third of the pitch. Unfortunately, it’s boring to watch.

“The result has not only been poor performances and results, but England fans voting with their feet. We saw that in the Fiji game with the top tier at Twickenham unsold. I never thought I would see that.

“He must — as a means of motivation — privately question the performance levels of his players.

“Against Fiji, Marcus Smith came on and added some energy to the team from the unusual position of full back but no other player could have left Twickenham saying they had a good day at the office.

“That is a damning indictment of the team’s display.”

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