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Behind the shield, Steve Borthwick is both laddish and loveable

Behind the shield, Steve Borthwick is both laddish and loveable - Andrew Milligan/PA
Behind the shield, Steve Borthwick is both laddish and loveable - Andrew Milligan/PA

“We even reckon he counts the Rice Krispies into his bowl to make sure he gets the right number of calories,” was the summing-up of Steve Borthwick by Michael Foley, who coached him when he was a lock at Bath.

Which suggests Borthwick’s imminent England reign will not be a laugh a minute. Certainly, the Leicester Tigers head coach’s taciturn demeanour is nigh-on legendary. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the reality is entirely different.

“Steve has always been an astonishing orator when in front of a group of gorillas from his own, familiar world,” David Flatman has written of his former Bath team-mate.

“Steve is a gifted leader of men. He led players with more talent and experience than he ever had; he led players with insufficient talent to be where they were. And he damn near got the best out of all of them.”

Flatman is not alone in his view. Many Leicester players – past and present – approached for their opinions would not come close to saying a bad word about him. “Genius” and “mastermind” cropped up frequently, but the person who put it best was Kevin Sinfield, his Tigers defence coach and someone who may even join the England set-up as a lieutenant.

Sinfield joined Leicester a year after Borthwick, but both were crucial in the Tigers’ resurgence; taking them from relegation fodder to champions in two seasons. “Steve won’t want to take any credit for the turnaround at all, but he should,” Sinfield said.

“Without him, it wouldn’t have happened. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve worked with, if not the best.” I have witnessed Borthwick in his natural habitat first-hand. He jokingly threatened once that he would “kneecap” me if any of Leicester’s secrets ever made it to print, a gag which had his squad in stitches.

All I can do now, Steve, with England calling, is apologise for having to break that sportsmen’s agreement. The perception within rugby circles is that the 43-year-old is stale, a robot, lacking in colour, personality and charm.

Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield - Borthwick profile: Behind the protective shield lies laddish and loveable side players buy in to - David Rogers/Getty Images
Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield - Borthwick profile: Behind the protective shield lies laddish and loveable side players buy in to - David Rogers/Getty Images

But no one who has worked with Borthwick would ever describe him in such a fashion. Graham Norton he might not be, but his energy is infectious and he is confident in leading and speaking in front of groups of professional sportsmen, who so often have egos to match their muscles.

His genius is understated. “He’s the most impressive professional I’ve worked with in my entire career,” England hooker Jamie George said. “He’s probably had the biggest influence on my career up to date.

“There've been some amazing coaches that I’ve worked with at Saracens, but I think Steve in particular, he just gets it. He’s a very tough man, he doesn’t give you an awful lot in terms of what his emotions are, but at the same time he’s got an incredible understanding of what the team needs and what you need as an individual.”

Critics have already labelled Borthwick as Eddie Jones Mk II. Borthwick was Jones’s protege with Japan and then England, marshalling the forwards while Jones ran the show above him.

Borthwick does bring the same level of assiduousness as Jones, but it is the unseen, lovable side that makes the Leicester saviour such a hit.

'The Padawan fills the shoes of his Jedi'

Tales of the former England captain forcing hookers to practise line-out throwing in boxing gloves – a “genius idea” according to former England captain Dylan Hartley – are well known; so, too, Borthwick setting up his iconic line-out ladder at Umhlanga Beach in South Africa, dodging sharks in the Indian Ocean.

Despite his obsession with detail, however, Borthwick never loses sight of the humans at the heart of his rugby team. Indeed, he never lost sight of the human that developed him.

There is little doubt that the situation – the Padawan filling the shoes of his Jedi – would have sat uneasily with Borthwick. He would have seriously considered the knock-on effect of appearing to walk on the grave of Jones, who he has described as “one of the best coaches ever.”

Borthwick said last year: “I don’t see anyone else who’s had such an impact on English coaching. Hopefully, that will be good for English rugby for a long time to come, but that’s going to be dependent on how we as younger coaches all continue to develop.”

It is no coincidence that Leicester team meetings – where even tactics and strategy are discussed – were frequented by members of the non-playing, back-of-house staff: ticket-office clerks, accountants and stewards among them.

Borthwick invests time and trust in people in the hope that they reinvest in him – so far, the evidence suggests that he is succeeding. Leicester’s latest marquee player, the South African World Cup-winner Handre Pollard, said: “Steve’s definitely got the qualities to be an international coach. When that time will come, we’ll see, but he’s definitely on his way.”

He is more than on his way. But let us hope that Pennyhill Park is well stocked with Rice Krispies.