Borthwick narrows England’s training priorities before Australia Test
England coach Steve Borthwick has focused his squad’s limited preparation on a smaller set of priorities before the Australia match on 8 November. A three-day camp has had to fit around club fixtures and recovery. He also wants players to adapt their work at the breakdown to the greater demands of international rugby.
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England fit camp around club matches
England men’s rugby union coach Steve Borthwick has concentrated his squad’s preparation on a smaller number of clear priorities before facing Australia. A three-day training camp has fitted around the English club season. The teams meet at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, London, on Sunday 8 November in England’s opening Nations Championship match.[1], [2]
Borthwick said the latest camp was complete and players were returning to their clubs on Wednesday. Club games on the preceding Sunday had restricted the amount of full-squad training. He welcomed the absence of Sunday matches in the next round of the Premiership, England’s top club league, because players should have more time to recover.[1]
Club rugby brings fitness and rivalries
England’s coach also sees value in players going back to regular club competition between national-team gatherings. He said their match fitness could benefit England, provided they avoided injury and remained available for selection. His approach is to keep the international work focused rather than attempting too many tasks in the limited time available.[1]
The recent domestic derbies also featured in Borthwick’s assessment of the club game. He pointed to players’ loyalty to their clubs and the intensity of those fixtures. Players who train together as England teammates become opponents again at the weekend, before returning to work alongside one another when the national squad reconvenes.[1]
Breakdown work faces a higher Test standard
Borthwick identified the breakdown, the contest for possession around a tackled player, as an area requiring adjustment for international rugby. He pointed to recent European club fixtures, where English teams collectively lost more of their own breakdown ball and won less opposition ball than teams from other participating countries. His training priorities include bridging that gap.[1]
Australia arrive with a different recent international workload: they have played 10 Tests since July, including meetings with South Africa and New Zealand. England’s preparation, meanwhile, has remained interwoven with the club calendar. Borthwick described adapting players from Premiership rugby to the demands of Test matches as part of his job before the Australia fixture.[1]
