Steve Borthwick: Ex-Leicester Tigers boss helping find permanent successor, says CEO
- Published
Steve Borthwick appointed Richard Wigglesworth to his coaching staff at Leicester Tigers in September 2021
Steve Borthwick will play a part in finding his successor at Leicester, says chief executive Andrea Pinchen.
The 43-year-old left the Premiership title holders on 19 December to take over as England head coach.
Richard Wigglesworth is working as interim boss at Tigers until the end of the season, and is among a short list of permanent replacements that Borthwick has helped shape.
"Who better to ask than Steve Borthwick?" Pinchen asked.
"I am not the rugby brain of this organisation. But I've got this rugby brain like Steve, so why wouldn't I try to make the most of that.
"I asked if he would be willing, not to choose his successor, but to be part of a process where I could put names in front of him to get his opinion on their coaching ability and references if he has worked with them before.
"It was really key for me to make sure that I got as much information as I can.
"He was extremely helpful and said yes immediately. He wants to leave Leicester in a good position.
"He was more than happy to help and advise as and where he could and give any value he felt he could."
In his first role as a head coach, Borthwick took a Tigers side that was languishing at the bottom of the table in 2020 to the club's 11th Premiership title within two years.
The former national team captain had left his role on England's coaching team to take the job at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and had widely been seen as the man to succeed Eddie Jones.
Pinchen says Borthwick "was very upfront" about his ambitions and that Tigers assured him that "they would not stand in the way".
'Timing not perfect'
Jones' sacking nine months before the Rugby World Cup, however, did come as a surprise, with Tigers approached by the Rugby Football Union for Borthwick's services a day later.
"It definitely happened sooner than we had prepared for," Pinchen told BBC Radio Leicester.
"It wasn't the event itself that was unexpected, it was the timing of it.
"Timing-wise, it wasn't perfect. We would not stand in his way, but we needed to make sure that the club came out of it in a good position."
Pinchen said an "awful lot of work" and "quite a bit of money" has been spent on the recruitment process already, hiring statisticians and consultants to help compile a list of suitable candidates, which has been whittled down.
She says Tigers have spoken to candidates and stressed that Wigglesworth, who retired as a player to take up the interim role, would not have any specific targets set for him in order to be considered for the permanent position.
"My job is to alleviate the pressure on him so he can focus on the rugby, on the result, and achieving the success we want.
"There isn't a set KPI [key performance indicator] of, 'You must achieve this to make the job yours,' it's still the process we were on, the interview process we were on, and he is very much part of that."