Sir Clive Woodward: Steve Borthwick faces a ‘mammoth task’ after not being ‘allowed’ to focus on beating the Springboks
Springboks forward Jasper Wiese in action against England and an inset of Sir Clive Woodward.
England can beat the Springboks in South Africa in July, but their chances have been hampered by the RFU’s prolonged review of the Six Nations.
That is according to former head coach Sir Clive Woodward, who has slammed the process that took several months to complete and resulted in the union continuing its support of Steve Borthwick and his staff.
The RFU conducts these reviews after every international window, but the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach believes they are needless and have ‘once again not helped anyone’. He suggests that employing a director of rugby who would be Borthwick’s boss and would report to the board would be a better system to put in place.
Woodward: Borthwick endured weeks of purgatory
Instead, the union has distracted Borthwick and his preparations for the inaugural Nations Championship, which kicks off with England tackling the back-to-back World Cup-winning Springboks in Johannesburg.
“They should have either decided to hire or fire Borthwick within a week of the France game,” Woodward wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“Instead, he’s had to endure weeks of purgatory, not helping him to focus on the task at hand, which is simply the next game – South Africa in Johannesburg on July 4.”
The 70-year-old was unrelenting in his criticism of the review and the subsequent statement that the RFU issued.
He continued, “The line from the review that pained me the most was ‘Steve has engaged in this process with full openness’. It made him sound like a suspect cooperating with the police! He deserves better than that. In sport and in business, you have to think about how everything is perceived by your opposition. What will the rest of the world think?”
Sir Clive Woodward blasts RFU review that only ‘questions the credibility’ of Steve Borthwick
Beating the Boks will be despite the RFU, not because of them
He adds that England can put their worst-ever Six Nations performance behind them with a win in South Africa, something that they are capable of, but he fears that Borthwick hasn’t been allowed to get over the poor showing in the Championship and properly focus his attention on the next job.
“Do England really look more dangerous coming out of this in the eyes of France, Ireland and South Africa? While it will clearly be a mammoth task to beat the Springboks in their own backyard, England can deliver a result. They have the players and coaches to do so,” he wrote.
“But I worry that the weeks that have passed since the France game – during which Borthwick would have been unclear on his future – have not allowed him to properly move on and focus on beating the Springboks.
“I hope now he can, but time is of the essence. In the next two campaigns, I’d like to see Borthwick nail his colours to the mast in terms of his starting XV. England have the players. They can win in South Africa and if they do, then all the disappointment of the Six Nations will be forgotten.
“As I say, elite sport moves fast. But if it happens, it will be despite the RFU not because of them. Their needless review has once again not helped anyone.”
