Steve Borthwick
Birth name | Stephen William Borthwick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 12 October 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Carlisle, Cumbria, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 111 kg (17 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Hutton Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University of Bath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stephen William Borthwick (born 12 October 1979) is an English
. At international level, he played for England 57 times from his debut in 2001; he served as captain from 2008 until he was dropped from the side in 2010.Borthwick was appointed as England's forwards coach in December 2015, a role which he left in mid 2020 to become head coach of Leicester Tigers instead. In December 2022, he was appointed as the England head coach.
Club career
Born in
Bath: 1998–2008
Borthwick joined Bath in 1998 from Preston Grasshoppers, making his debut against Saracens in December 1998. During this time, he was balancing rugby commitments with study, and graduated from the University of Bath in 2003 with a degree in economics with politics.
Borthwick had, arguably, his best season for
In January 2008, Borthwick announced that he would be leaving Bath at the end of the 2007–08 season for Saracens F.C.[4]
Saracens: 2008–2014
Following his switch to Saracens, Borthwick was named co-captain for the 2008–09 season alongside Andy Farrell.
In the 2009–10 season he was named as the captain for Saracens F.C.[5] Injury prevented him from playing for much of the season: he returned for the Premiership final, but not as captain, as Saracens were defeated by Leicester Tigers.[6] However the following season he started as Saracens won their first Premiership title.[7]
On 28 November 2013, Borthwick announced he would be retiring at the end of the
International career
Borthwick first emerged during
He came on as a blood replacement for Ben Kay in the 25–14 win over Australia in Melbourne in June 2003, his sixth cap.[11] A member of England's wider 2003 World Cup squad, he narrowly missed selection to the final 30.[12] He regained his place in the England squad after the 2003 World Cup and despite England's disappointing results, Borthwick was given credit for his solid play.
Borthwick initially failed to make England's squad for the 2005
Borthwick was selected as a member of the England 2007 Rugby World Cup squad.[13] He played in three Group matches, starting against Tonga. He did not participate in the knockout games.
Captaincy
On 10 February 2008 Borthwick was named captain for England's
In the 2009 Six Nations, Borthwick came under more criticism as England's discipline cost them victories against Ireland and Wales. However, after performing much better against France and Scotland in the last two weeks of the tournament, Borthwick's critics seemed to leave him alone.
End of international career
In January 2010, Borthwick was confirmed as England captain for the 2010 Six Nations.[16] After England's 15–15 draw against Scotland in the 2010 Six Nations, Borthwick aggravated an ongoing knee injury. This meant he was unavailable for selection against France so Tom Palmer was bought in as cover and Lewis Moody was given the captaincy.
Due to injury, Borthwick was not a member of the 2010 England rugby union tour of Australasia.[17] On 1 July 2010, he was dropped from the Elite Player Squad by Martin Johnson.[18]
Coaching career
Borthwick trained as a coach, taking his initial position in-club from 2012 whilst playing with Saracens, and also attending the
On 15 December 2015, he was confirmed as England Forwards coach.
In October 2019, it was reported by BBC Sport that Borthwick's next role would be with Leicester Tigers following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[21] It was later confirmed he would join the club as head coach for the 2020–21 Premiership Rugby season. Next season, Borthwick led the Tigers to their eleventh Premiership title during the 2021–22 season.
On 19 December 2022, it was announced that Borthwick would take over as head coach of the England men's rugby team, replacing Eddie Jones.[22][23]
Personal life
Borthwick is married to Beth Borthwick, an Australian. They have two sons together.[24][25]
References
- ^ "Wasps 10–6 Bath". BBC Sport. 29 May 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Shaw scoops top award". ESPNscrum. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Bath secure Challenge Cup glory". BBC Sport. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Borthwick set for Saracens switch". BBC Sport. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Saracens hand Borthwick captaincy". BBC Sport. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Leicester 33–27 Saracens". BBC Sport. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Leicester 18-22 Saracens". BBC. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Steve Borthwick: Saracens captain to retire at end of season". BBC Sport. 28 November 2014.
- ^ "England's new boys: Forwards". BBC Sport. 23 May 2000. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "England fight back to bury French". BBC Sport. 7 April 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "England clinch historic victory". BBC Sport. 21 June 2003. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Who will make England's World Cup squad?". BBC Sport. 4 September 2003. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Tindall & Hodgson miss World Cup". BBC Sport. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Borthwick to lead England in NZ". BBC Sport. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ "Borthwick to Captain England". RFU. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ^ "Steve Borthwick retained as England captain". BBC Sport. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ "England pick nine uncapped players for summer tour". BBC Sport. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "Ex-England captain Steve Borthwick out of elite squad". BBC Sport. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
- ^ "University of Hertfordshire". thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/. The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "Borthwick appointed Bristol coach". BBC Sport.
- ^ "England coach set to join Gallagher Premiership club". Ruck. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "Steve Borthwick: New England coach signals new era". BBC Sport. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "England appoint Steve Borthwick as new head coach to replace Eddie Jones". The Guardian. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "England appoint Steve Borthwick as new head coach". BT.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 May 2023.