Steve Borthwick knew England were going through a tough week and could not afford to be passive until the second Test match against New Zealand, so he again stepped up and boldly set the agenda.
The national team coach has been increasingly assertive on this tour. He was in his element yesterday after including Finn Baxter in an otherwise unchanged starting 15. He highlighted the All Blacks’ pressure at their Eden Park stronghold, how England have unsettled their rivals and how the home scrum needs an official audit.
Last weekend, Borthwick suggested all the blame lay with Scott Robertson’s Kiwi side this week, and doubled down on that view by revealing an awkward encounter with a hard-line, partisan local as England flew out of the South Island. He said: “When I left Dunedin, a Kiwi supporter said he thought we had played well, but he said ‘we’re going to lose next week and we’re going to win in style’. I said ‘Oh, really?’ He said ‘yeah, we didn’t play in style’.
‘So there’s an expectation that New Zealand will beat us in style. That’s their record (30 years unbeaten at Eden Park). That’s the pressure on them.’
Robertson looked nervous but energetic in his first Test in charge of the All Blacks last weekend, coming from 15-10 down to fight back to win 16-15. It was clear that the popular former Crusaders coach was going through a tumultuous, unsettling and emotional first day of a new regime.
Steve Borthwick is putting pressure on New Zealand ahead of the second Test at Eden Park.
New Zealand were not in top form but won the opening Test in Dunedin by one run.
England took quiet notice. Borthwick, often surprisingly expressionless during the game, said: ‘They said they felt relieved afterwards. They talked a lot about relief. Watching them and seeing what was going on in the coaching box, it definitely put a bit of a strain on us and hopefully we can do that again this week.’
His attempts to unsettle New Zealand’s opponents were an interesting development. And what about the Eden Park factor? France have won home rule at the country’s biggest stadium since winning it in 1994. According to Borthwick, that only adds to the pressure on the hosts.
‘We don’t avoid it,’ he added. ‘We solve problems. There’s been a lot of talk about the record this week. It’s not our record, it’s their record. They’re the ones who have to try to maintain it. It’s not us. It’s the pressure and the expectation that’s put on them.’
Meanwhile, England have been rattled by concerns over the legality of New Zealand’s scrum after changing their front row for the series finale. Harlequins’ new loosehead Baxter has been handed his first Test selection after making a positive impact as an early substitute in last weekend’s one-point defeat to the All Blacks in Dunedin. The 22-year-old replaced injured clubmate Joe Marler.
After England’s painful defeat at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Queen’s scrum coach Adam Jones questioned how home No. 1 Ethan de Groot was able to overpower England tighthead Will Stewart in an interview with Mail Sport. Several respected scrum experts have suggested the Kiwi loosehead acted illegally.
While remaining diplomatic, Borthwick confirmed the topic would be on the agenda when he spoke to the Australian players who will be in charge of the game tomorrow. ‘I will be speaking to referee Nick Barry this evening,’ the national team coach said.
‘He had a touch-on last week as an assistant referee so he’ll have a very good view of all aspects of the game. We’ll be asking him what areas he saw and what his views are for this weekend’s game. Obviously the scrum will be one area we’ll be asking him about.’
‘I think I have a good relationship with Joel Jutge (World Rugby referees manager). After every game, if there’s something you want to clarify, it’s normal to ask for it. Joel always makes it clear to us. We ask Nic Berry for his perspective, we present what we see and we have a conversation.’
England captain and hooker Jamie George added from his vantage point in the front-row set-piece battle: ‘What people have said (about De Groot’s scrum) is there and it’s pretty clear. We’ve had good feedback from World Rugby about what they think about it. We’re confident Nick Barry will make the right decision this weekend.’
Meanwhile, Borthwick expressed confidence that Baxter could handle the scale of this latest milestone in his budding career. Commenting on the Dunedin debutant’s performance, he said: “Finn came off the bench and did really well. “I see him as a really calm and composed lad. He’s someone who takes it all in his stride.”
