England’s head coach has new powers, making Henry Slade a test case ahead of the meeting with New Zealand in November
squad on Wednesday, whereas a week earlier his name had appeared in the “rehabilitation” list to signify his state of inactivity since he had a shoulder operation in pre-season.“Stability” and “continuity” are Borthwick’s watchwords in team selection, and while that may be an irony given the recent changes to his coaching staff – more of which in a moment – they represent a handbrake turn from the edgy feel we had become accustomed to under his England predecessor.
And the powerful sense with Borthwick is of a selector who, all things being equal, would field the same team against the All Blacks in just over a fortnight’s time as he did in England’s most recent Test, the 24-17 defeat by the same opposition in Auckland in July. As for the two centres, he said: “ Lawrence and Slade haven’t played a lot together, but you have seen them do it this year and you have seen them develop. So that continuity is an important aspect.
Asked if he now wanted the current coaching cohort of Richard Wigglesworth – newly elevated to senior assistant – and Kevin Sinfield, Joe El-Abd, Andrew Strawbridge and Tom Harrison to go through to the 2027 World Cup, perhaps with Morrow added, Borthwick said: “The simple answer is yes, and… I think we’ve got an excellent management team. I’m also respectful that this is professional sport.”
Strength and conditioning expert Walters quit England to take charge of performance for the Ireland team, while defence coach Jones is currently working his notice remotely, undertaking “analysis and study of the opposition”, apparently with no other job in the pipeline. “The high quality CVs I got sent means there’s a lot of people who want to coach this England team. The coaches are great and the other coach I wanted to be with us is Phil Morrow, who’s a world-class coach – and I’m hopeful that at some point in the future he will be working this this team.”
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