Whilst the media continues its furore surrounding England football captain John Terry and his scandalous personal life, another England Captain is enjoying a relatively peaceful existence,out of the spotlight, unnoticed even on the streets of the country’s capital.
Steve Borthwick is the antithesis of the football lifestyle. Relaxed in his demeanour and a self-professed “quiet guy”, he likes nothing more than to slip under the radar and just get on with life. Off the pitch he loves the anonymity, but when on the pitch, Borthwick’s lack of presence has certainly garnered him his critics and is gaining him some unwanted attention.
Now 18 months into his tenure as captain, the man earmarked as the next Martin Johnson is still failing to convince the English rugby community that he is the right man for the job and with few noteworthy accolades on his captain’s CV since he took on the role, patience is beginning to wear thin.
Martin Johnson is undoubtedly feeling the same, having invested great faith in Borthwick with no real returns. On paper he is unquestionably a great player, with his stats alone showing he is the lynchpin to the England pack, but England need more than just a statistical leader, they need an inspirational one.
The value of the captaincy
Former England World Cup winner and outside-centre Will Greenwood recently spoke of what should be required from an England captain, using Johnson’s leadership in 2003 as the benchmark; “It was not about charisma with Johnno, it was all about standards. He led in a manner that made other players raise their game to follow the captain”
Johnson was a player that truly valued the captaincy of England. Every time he wore the rose, he showed just why he was the players, coaches, and people’s choice. He led from the front and struck fear into the opposition, exactly what the current England captain is struggling to achieve.
Occasionally you will see the Saracens second row having quiet words with the referee on the side, but you barely see him adamantly coming to the defence of his peers with a Johnsonesque’ snarl across his face. It’s this lack of passion, or at least this appearing lack of passion, which is providing the cannon fodder for his critics.
Besides the lack of zeal, Borthwick’s play has also got to represent that of a captain. He is a gifted second-row that can ruin the best line-outs on the circuit when playing well and his sheer physical presence in the scrums makes him a crucial part of the England engine room, although he needs to play on these strengths more often. The sooner he realises that he needs to be more than just another player in the starting XV, the sooner faith will be restored in him.
Support of his team
So far, the former Bath captain’s record of 7 wins out of 17 in the international arena is indicative of lack of leadership. The few victories that have been mustered up under Borthwick regime can be attributed to the fact that he has a solid core of leaders around him. Lewis “Mad dog” Moody, Nick Easter, Simon Shaw and Jonny Wilkinson are but a few of the names that have provided him with the support he has needed in gaining these wins as captain, big names that fully stand behind him and inspire at least an inkling of confidence in his leadership.
It is still a while to go before Steve Borthwick receives the sort of flattery from his players that Will Greenwood and co. laid onto his captain Martin Johnson. He still has time left to earn it in the next few weeks, and if he does, England can hope for greater success under the Saracens man in the future. If he fails, his tenure as England captain will undoubtedly be coming to an abrupt end very soon.
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