England ace hails Borthwick as ‘ridiculously’ good coach
ENGLAND star Anthony Watson has described Steve Borthwick as “a ridiculously good coach” ahead of his likely ascension to English rugby’s top job.
Watson is a fan of ex-england head coach Eddie Jones, whose seven-year reign ended last week when he was sacked following a poor Autumn Nations Series campaign.
Leicester boss Borthwick, a former England forwards coach and England captain, is the clear favourite to succeed Jones.
He masterminded Tigers’ Gallagher
Premiership title triumph last season, transforming Leicester from relegation candidates when he arrived in the East Midlands to champions.
Wing or full-back Watson joined Leicester from Bath earlier this year and he is cruising into top gear after 10 months out because of a serious knee injury.
“I don’t really want to get caught in the if or when of him going, but what I will say is that Steve is a ridiculously good coach,” said Watson, whose blistering 50-metre solo try helped Tigers claim an opening Heineken
Champions Cup win against Ospreys.
“The whole set-up at Leicester, I want to play for all of the coaches. Kev (defence coach Kevin Sinfield) is one of the most inspirational blokes I’ve ever met, Steve is straight down the line but an absolute legend, a guy who I would ride out for, and the same with Wiggy (player-coach Richard Wigglesworth).
“I don’t know what it is – I can’t even put my finger on it – but I just want to play for those guys.
“Steve is genuinely an honest bloke. He will tell you exactly how it is. There’s no sugar-coating it. Whether you like it or not, he is going to tell you.
“And secondly, everything he says is backed up by evidence. I remember in pre-season he came up to me and we were talking about the breakdown.
“He said he had watched every one of my carries for the last two or three years and what I needed to do on the ground to make sure we can retain possession.
“I don’t know how many carries that would have been, but two, three years’ worth of carries is a decent amount. For him to trawl through all of that just shows you how dedicated he is.”