Intense Borthwick and unstable RFU have allowed disorder to return

The Sunday Times had two major scoops this weekend. Oasis are to reform 15 years after Liam smashed his brother’s guitar during a row at a festival in France, leading to Noel walking out. It was, some might say, an unstable working environment. The Gallagher brothers have spent the intervening time blaming each other for splitting up the band. Next year, they will be back on stage together, a new generation of fans awaiting them in Manchester and Wembley.
The other scoop, the one that concerns us, was that Felix Jones, England’s revered defence coach, had followed Aled Walters, the influential head of strength and conditioning, in tendering his resignation. No guitars were thrown on England’s summer tour, at least as far as we know, but Jones was also not prepared to continue operating in what sources have said he felt was an unstable working environment.
The Gallagher brothers were barely talking when they arrived at that festival in Paris and the same, we understand, could be said of some England coaches by the end of the season. Borthwick’s band is breaking up and with only one smash-hit performance since Jones joined after the World Cup: a victory over Ireland at Twickenham that was followed by a near miss against France in Lyon and two more in New Zealand.
Nevertheless, England were making progress. Jones had introduced an aggressive blitz defence which had quickly become the hallmark of the team. Their attacking intent had sharpened under the guidance of Richard Wigglesworth and there was an air of positivity heading into the autumn Tests.
But the deflating events of the past three weeks have exposed some frustrations, if not divisions, within. A sense of disorder and disharmony hangs once again over the national team. The departures of Walters and Jones should raise red flags at Twickenham.
Borthwick’s England project relied on five key coaches — but two of them, both World Cup-winning brains, have now left the building while a third, Kevin Sinfield, is yet to confirm his future.
Walters, whose humour, energy and emotional intelligence acted as a counterweight to Borthwick’s more earnest intensity, decided that working for Ireland, in a system designed to build a winning team, was a better option than taking England through to the 2027 World Cup. There were some family reasons that formed part of his decision but this, first and foremost, was a career move.
For Jones it was more disaffection than defection. He was close to Walters, having previously worked with him at Munster and with South Africa. There is a suggestion he was frustrated at being given defence duties, having initially thought he was joining England to run the attack. Regardless, Jones made a hugely positive impression on the players, who are shocked at his departure. He was recently promoted to Borthwick’s No 2. It is damning that Jones does not appear to have another job lined up. After seven months and eight Tests with England, he just did not want this job.
The scrutiny will now fall on Borthwick, who declined an invitation from The Times to give his perspective on the two departures and the criticism that has been levelled at his England regime.
The RFU has not officially said a word about Jones leaving. There have been indications that he could be made to serve his 12 months’ notice, although that will be a play by the RFU to secure compensation from his next employer. Ireland and New Zealand are both potential suitors. There is no way Jones can be in camp this November.
Whatever tension there may have been internally, Jones is definitely right that instability surrounds the England team — a long-standing challenge that is outside of Borthwick’s control and will not be solved by the much-vaunted new partnership between the RFU and the Premiership clubs.
The RFU will pay Premiership Rugby £33million a year, an increase of 53 per cent. The new deal includes an agreement that England can award full-time contracts worth £160,000 each to a core of international players. Borthwick is allowed to hand out up to 25, although it is understood the RFU cannot afford that many.
And they are a fudge. Borthwick would have wanted full control of his star players but will not get it. The one absolute benefit is that England will have input on club time into a player’s strength and conditioning programme, to ensure they arrive in peak shape for Test duty. Except, of course, England do not currently have any strength and conditioning coaches. Shambles.
Walters’ departure quickly followed that of Tom Tombleson, who left the RFU by mutual agreement after ten years with England. Tim Hall, the under-20s strength and conditioning coach, is also understood to have left the RFU. Recruitment is frantically underway but Walters’ replacement will be starting from scratch in terms of knowledge of the players and relationships with the clubs.
Officially the new deal will allow England to manage the conditioning programmes and medical decisions for their contracted players but Borthwick will have no say over selection for club matches — a situation ripe for conflict.
Before he left, Walters had no clear understanding of how that would work in practice and what impact he could have on England players outside of Test camps. Contrast that to the Ireland situation, where there is clarity and stability about the structure.
“Strength and conditioning and medical decisions will be made by the England head coach. Selection for Premiership and European Cup games will be made by the clubs,” Rob Baxter, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby, said. “But it doesn’t take a great deal of working out to know that if you’re in control of someone’s medical decisions, you’re deciding when they play, really, aren’t you?
“Steve and I have a good relationship, but the problem is now the rules and regulations are different on who takes responsibility, who heads it up, who guides it. That’s the difference.”
Like Oasis, the fans will always be there for England, although tickets were unusually slow to sell for the November Tests against South Africa and Australia. What exactly awaits them at the newly sponsored arena?
Jones’s blitz defence, underpinned by the improved fitness of the squad, was the signature of Borthwick’s England team through the Six Nations and the summer. Selections were made based on that vision, with Henry Slade returning to become vice-captain and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso being fast-tracked with great success into the Test arena, because of their qualities in the blitz.
Do England now start again with a new system, new players and beg more patience from supporters? Or does Borthwick find a coach who understands the blitz well enough to take it on, such as Shaun Edwards? Borthwick could turn to Joe El-Abd, a friend and a coach at Oyonnax whose ability outstrips his reputation.
Whatever recruitment happens, England’s momentum has been halted. The autumn programme — New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Japan — feels a more ominous prospect now than it did at the end of the summer tour.
England face yet another reset and restart. Borthwick, for the first time as head coach, is under pressure. Unlike the Gallaghers, he has no gobby brother to blame for the break-up of the band.