Borthwick urges young squad 'not to stay in shadows'

Borthwick led England to third place in the Six Nations earlier this year and a third place finish at the 2023 World Cup

Head coach Steve Borthwick has urged his young England players not to “stay in the shadows” as they look to make history this summer.

Borthwick has named a 36-man squad for the tour of Japan and New Zealand.

But while there is an experienced core in the forwards, there is a green look to the backline with a handful of big names retired or injured.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do is jump right in”, Borthwick said.

In a wide-ranging interview on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Borthwick added: “I don’t want players in the shadows. I don’t want players thinking of not making a mistake. I want them coming on the pitch and trying to win, bringing their point of difference.”

'We lack experience but have great players'

Since the Six Nations, cap centurion Danny Care has retired from international duty, while Manu Tuilagi, with 60 caps, is now unavailable having signed for French side Bayonne.

96-cap fly half George Ford and the 66-cap Elliot Daly are both injured, leaving Henry Slade as the most experienced back, with 62 appearances, and Marcus Smith the second most with just 32.

But Borthwick has picked six backs from the champions Northampton including the uncapped Ollie Sleightholme, while Sale’s uncapped but in-form duo of Tom Roebuck and Joe Carpenter are also included.

“We do have areas of the team where we don’t have a lot of caps,” Borthwick explained.

“But we do have some great players. Guys who have been playing in a tough Premiership competition and are match-hardened and ready to go.

“Several of who were playing in the Premiership final in what was about as close to a Test match atmosphere as you can get in club rugby.

“Those experiences can be transferable straight into the Test match arena. And that’s what I will be looking to do with this group of players.”

Borthwick revealed that the Premiership finalists had joined the camp early on Monday to start their recovery, calling this a "really positive sign” - with regards to their mindset.

Meanwhile, the England boss admitted his main challenge would be to get the side to pick up where they left off at the end of the Six Nations.

After a third-placed finish at the World Cup, England evolved their attack through the 2024 Championship, culminating in a defeat of Ireland and a narrow loss to France in Lyon.

“Every team has breakthroughs, and we want to build on those foundations,” Borthwick said.

“As you see the team evolving you see an England team that has pace, footwork and dynamism in it. Those are the attributes we want to use in the way we play. Tactically smart and bringing all their talent and points of difference on to the pitch.

“Picking up from where it left off, that’s a real challenge. I’ve gone on record talking about consistency of selection and cohesion and partnerships, and players that have played together a lot, which comes from the club game because you just don’t have time to get it at international level.”

Smith v Smith

With England greats Owen Farrell and Ford unavailable, this summer will see a generational shift at fly-half with Marcus and Fin Smith in a shootout to be England’s starting 10.

“The talent they have is extraordinary. Marcus has looked so sharp in training, as sharp as I’ve ever seen him,” Borthwick said.

“With Fin, I met him at a hotel reception when I had just taken this job, and the hunger and desire to compete at the highest level just oozed out of him from that first meeting.

“To have two fly-halves with that level of talent, with both as hungry as they are is brilliant. I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

‘No hesitation in picking Curry'

While a swathe of experience has been lost from the squad, Borthwick has been able to welcome back established flanker Tom Curry, who made his long-awaited injury return in Sale’s semi-final defeat by Bath.

Curry’s club boss Alex Sanderson had warned about the risks of taking the player on tour given his chronic hip injury, but Borthwick said all medical reports - as well as Curry’s own testimony - made his selection a straightforward one.

“Our medical team and Sale’s medical team have been liaising really closely, to understand just how Tom is progressing,” Borthwick explained.

“In that semi-final, his impact was extraordinary, and then watching him in training last week, he was energetic, refreshed, fast and powerful. That’s how he was last week.

“I’ve got the medical reports saying he is good to go but more important were my conversations with him.

“I see a man and hear a man who is desperate to be part of the team. No hesitation in naming him in the squad.”

‘We want to make memories'

Borthwick’s side face Japan in Tokyo on 22 June in a clash with former England boss Eddie Jones, before Tests with the All Blacks in Dunedin on 6th July and at Eden Park in Auckland a week later.

No England side has won a Test in New Zealand since the World Cup winning group of 2003, while no visiting side has won at Eden Park since France in 1994. The last England team to win at the spiritual home of All Blacks rugby was in 1973.

“We are playing in these iconic areas against formidable opposition. With that, if you approach this in the right way, and have the mindset that we are going to be aggressive in how we play, then you can have some brilliant memories,” Borthwick said.

“The cups, you have to give them back. The memories are what you have, the moments afterwards in the changing room.

“What I really want for this young team is to have brilliant memories of their time in this shirt. And what a challenge we’ve got over the next few weeks in Japan and New Zealand.”