Six Nations 2023: Steve Borthwick’s new England era defined by pride and clarity

Steve Borthwick took implicit arsenic England caput manager successful December

There are definite words already often repeated successful the epoch of Steve Borthwick's England: excitement, pridefulness and clarity.

New Englands with revamped gameplans - peculiarly successful onslaught - person often been promised successful caller years and person travel up wanting for deficiency of clarity.

In his archetypal squad selection since taking implicit from Eddie Jones successful December, Borthwick has near the bosom of that onslaught untouched contempt a disappointing 2022.

Captain Owen Farrell remains astatine wrong centre and Marcus Smith continues astatine fly-half.

Borthwick's manus was somewhat forced by injuries, with centres Henry Slade, Elliot Daly and Dan Kelly each unavailable.

He could person chosen accustomed favourite Manu Tuilagi astatine 13 but alternatively opted for Joe Marchant arsenic England physique towards September's World Cup - an lawsuit Borthwick refuses to sermon arsenic helium keeps a laser absorption connected the Six Nations.

Another caller look successful England's campy mightiness person had power successful that selection. Attack manager Nick Evans - seconded from Harlequins connected a short-term woody for the Six Nations - has 3 of his Quins players to enactment with successful Smith, Marchant and fig 8 Alex Dombrandt.

The anticipation is the other level of item for which Borthwick is famed volition beryllium the cardinal that yet unlocks the Smith-Farrell concern which initially held specified promise.

Perhaps this clip things volition beryllium different. Farrell has already proven to beryllium much unfastened successful interviews than helium was nether Borthwick's predecessor Eddie Jones, speaking of the wounded caused by Twickenham boos past November.

Maybe helium volition beryllium antithetic connected the pitch, too.

Evans surely thinks so, saying of Smith and Farrell nether Jones: "Some of the feedback was that possibly that [clarity] wasn't there, truthful possibly determination was a spot of a crossover. It's conscionable astir making definite that you're precise wide connected roles and responsibilities."

• Borthwick picks connected signifier to kick-start caller chapter
• Listen to Rugby Union Daily: Teams are out!

The midfield cannot carnivore afloat work for a hesitant attack.

Vice-captain and prop Ellis Genge says successful the autumn - erstwhile England mislaid to Argentina and South Africa, bushed Japan and drew with New Zealand - his side's scrum was the worst among the tier-one nations.

"With our unit that's not wherever we should be," Genge pointed out.

Genge and Kyle Sinckler proceed successful the beforehand enactment alongside Jamie George, with seasoned prop Dan Cole - jettisoned from Jones' England aft the 2019 World Cup last nonaccomplishment - brought backmost into the fold to get the basics right.

Borthwick's wide enactment is much deft than powerful, and Monye says it volition beryllium up to the forwards to laic the groundwork for England's attack.

"Last play the scrum wasn't bully capable and the set-piece wasn't bully enough," Monye told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"This battalion is mobile, dynamic and almighty and if they tin bash their occupation we cognize what Smith and Farrell tin bring."

• England v Scotland lucifer preview
• 'Russell cardinal to England v Scotland result' - Eddie Jones
• 'Scotland's excluded Lions indispensable emergence to challenge'

Whatever the program is to combat Scotland, buoyant from 3 wins and a gully successful their past 5 meetings with England, it seems Borthwick volition convey it perfectly to his team.

Listen to an interrogation with the erstwhile England skipper and you are forced to wage attention, truthful hushed are his tones.

Each connection is thought done and delivered with interaction - a connection benignant that leads Monye to picture Borthwick arsenic "one of the astir authentic radical connected the rugby planet".

He is open-minded too.

The 43-year-old has spoken astir watching the Six Nations arsenic a kid erstwhile it was the Five Nations.

His past with the tourney arsenic a subordinate goes backmost to his planetary debut successful 2001, but his speechmaking choices suggest a determination distant from the sport's much accepted ways of thinking.

Apparently Borthwick is currently reading the decidedly modern-sounding Do Hard Things - a publication that looks to redefine toughness and encourages the scholar to judge their limits successful immoderate cases alternatively than simply "pushing through".

Proof of his quality to prosecute a broadside successful his program could beryllium seen successful the 2022 Premiership final. Leicester clung connected to their kicking-based crippled and it paid off, starring to a archetypal Premiership rubric for 9 years.

Forward Maro Itoje has known Borthwick arsenic a team-mate astatine Saracens arsenic good arsenic a manager and describes him arsenic an "extremely diligent man".

Monye is not expecting a "high-octane" attack, but hopes astatine slightest that diligence volition springiness England the operation they lacked astatine the extremity of Jones' reign.

"At the full-time whistle, I privation to look backmost and cognize precisely however England privation to play," helium says.

Borthwick wants much than that. Having been criticised arsenic England skipper for a disappointing extremity to 2008 and commencement of the 2009 Six Nations, helium knows the regrets that travel from a mediocre performance.

"I privation to assistance these young guys not marque the mistakes I made," helium said. "When they're aged and person nary hairsbreadth similar me, I privation them to not person regrets."

What Borthwick wants from his squad instead: excitement, pridefulness and clarity. England fans volition deliberation triumph would beryllium bully too.

• Try retired Six Nations quiz
• Watch Scotland v England 2022 highlights
• Subscribe to the Rugby Union Daily podcast

• Do much costly AA batteries past longer? Sliced Bread is charged up to find out
• Why has Bad Education made a comeback? Jack Whitehall tells each astir the cult sitcom