The man hired by England to find Eddie Jones’ successor has given his verdict on head coach Steve Borthwick’s time in charge.
Nigel Redman, a former England second-row turned Rugby Football Union ‘kingmaker’, advised Twickenham chief Bill Sweeney on Borthwick’s appointment at the end of 2022.
England have since played 35 Tests and remain in the same world ranking position of five they were the day the Cumbrian took charge.
But after a turbulent 2024 in which they won only five of 12 internationals, the Red Rose brigade are riding the wave of a six-match winning run – their longest unbeaten streak for five years.
USA clash up next
As England fly to Washington to prepare for their final mission of the season, against the United States on Saturday, Redman’s judgement on the boss can today be revealed.
“My view is that he is the right man for the job,” said the man previously responsible for selecting British Swimming’s coaches for the 2016 Rio Olympics – Team GB’s most successful Games in the pool for a century before they bettered it in Tokyo.
“Steve is always looking to be better. He’s not happy with things, he’s always looking for the next thing.
“Look at the way things have evolved, from going to a Rugby World Cup in 2023, getting to a semi-final, almost to a final, to the way England have played since.
“For 12 months or more a number of marginal decisions, little things, went against us,” added Redman, pointing to a run of five successive narrow defeats just last year.
“Now we’ve had a few go with us and I bet you that’s down to a more confident, more clear team. That has been building, I think, since Steve took over.”
Borthwick signed a five-year contract when he succeeded Jones in December 2022. Redman is clear he is the man for the future as well as the present.
“I think we will arrive at the World Cup in good shape – and I think we’ll even get better after as well.”
It is amazing to think that only eight months ago the RFU was required to issue a vote of confidence in Borthwick after an autumn where he lost at home to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on successive weekends.
England responded by finishing runners-up in the Six Nations, beating champions France and missing out on winning the title by just a single point.
They have followed that up by sweeping Argentina 2-0 in the Pumas’ backyard, despite 14 senior players being away with the British & Irish Lions.
“This group have been brilliant,” Borthwick said as he headed to the US from Buenos Aires. “I couldn’t be more proud of these players and the spirit that they have, which is incredible.
“I want to bottle the spirit of La Plata, the spirit of San Juan, and take it with us wherever we go.
Continued development
“What we’ve seen is the continued development of how we are trying to play. You can see that this is a team that can move the ball, that has the ability to score. And you can see depth.
“Look at the back-row in particular, look at the performance of Ben Curry, Tom Willis, Sam Underhill. Look at the bench, Guy Pepper, Alex Dombrandt. You’ve got people like Henry Pollock, and how he has been performing for the Lions, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, those guys.
“There’s tremendous competition in the back-row. Selection is always on your mind, about where we are going and what we need to develop.”
Borthwick has called-up two hookers for the final leg of the tour, summoning Bristol’s Gabriel Oghre and Leicester’s Jamie Blamire to replace Lions-bound Jamie George and Theo Dan, who suffered a tour-ending knee injury when taking his place in the second Test in San Juan.