England players rally behind Borthwick after summer rift reports

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 18:55 · Archive

England players have defended head coach Steve Borthwick after a newspaper report claimed squad unrest during the summer tour.

A Times report alleged that England players lost faith in Steve Borthwick during July's Nations Championship campaign, objecting to his management style and seeking talks with RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney. Borthwick rejects the accusations. The squad has rallied around him ahead of Sunday's match against Australia, with captain Jamie George calling the article's timing "shocking" and saying the players are "hurt" but "galvanised" to defend their coach.

How it is being reported

• Injury crises and Borthwick under scrutiny: it’s that time of year again for England rugbySunday’s hosts need to stop looking for excuses and focus on what they can control to kick off the Nations Championsip against battle-hardened Australia Several things are increasingly guaranteed from an English rugby perspective around this time of year. Bang on cue the injury news and the weather both start to worsen. Cracks in the relationship between the players and their head coach, in this case Steve Borthwick, begin to surface. And as the crowds stream up from Twickenham railway station past the biltong and burger stalls, no one has much idea what to expect. This year it has been the…The Guardian · 6 Nov, 19:15
• Player-coach rift report will only galvanise England - GeorgeEngland hooker Jamie George says the squad are "really upset" by a newspaper article claiming the end of their summer tour was marked by player unrest over Steve Borthwick's leadership.BBC News · 6 Nov, 18:30
• Jamie George issues furious response to claim England have lost faith in Steve BorthwickA report in The Times claimed Borthwick had faced revolt from his players during the first phase of the Nations ChampionshipIndependent Sport · 6 Nov, 18:00
• England players support ‘one of our own’ Steve Borthwick after unrest claimsThe head coach rejects the accusations made in a newspaper article highlighting unhappiness with his management style.Independent Sport · 6 Nov, 18:00
• George: England players hurt by 'shocking' report of rift with BorthwickJamie George says England's players were "hurt" by a newspaper report of a rift with head coach Steve Borthwick in the summer, calling the timing of the article "shocking" ahead of Sunday's Nations Championship clash with Australia.Sky Sports · 6 Nov, 17:18

In this story: Steve Borthwick · Jamie George · England · Bill Sweeney · Ellis Genge · The Times · Australia · South Africa

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log