Big cat let out of the bag
STEVE BORTHWICK has been inadvertently confirmed as a Lions assistant coach for next summer’s tour to New Zealand. The England forwards coach, who only hung up his boots two-and-a-half years ago, had been tight-lipped over speculation he would be unveiled as part of Warren Gatland’s backroom team next week. However the more garrulous Eddie Jones let the news slip yesterday in the course of being grilled over today’s muchhyped meeting with referee Jaco Peyper, who is in charge tomorrow. When asked whether he would take an iPad along to show Peyper footage of his concerns over Australia’s scrum, he answered: “I don’t even know how to turn on an iPad. Steve Borthwick might.
“Will Steve do that tomorrow? You’ll have to ask him. Maybe he’s with Warren now, preparing for the Lions tour. Oh. Has that been announced yet?”
Jones hastily claimed he was joking but the cat was out of the bag, confirming last week’s Daily Express exclusive that Borthwick, Andy Farrell and Rob Howley will make up the Lions management team.
Howley, the attack coach, is the beneficiary of Joe Schmidt and Gregor Townsend’s decisions to turn down a tour role.
“I was approached about 10 days ago. It came as a bit of a shock and it was very flattering but the timing was not right,” said Townsend, who takes over as Scotland coach at the end of the season.
“I didn’t give an immediate answer. I had a good think about things and two days later I told him the answer was no and that it wasn’t going to work for me.
“I realised the Scotland trip to Australia is my No1 priority at the end of this season.”
Borthwick’s inclusion is a reward for the diligent and occasionally innovative work the ex-England captain has done since jumping ship from Bristol to join the Jones revolution last year.
In the autumn series, his lineout drills have included the use of soapy boxing gloves to make it harder for Dylan Hartley to throw in. “The standards that he drives are unbelievable,” said Hartley. “He’s a great guy and knows his
rugby.”