Steve Borthwick knows England are up against it this week and they cannot afford to be passive before the second Test against New Zealand, so he was on the front foot again – boldly setting the agenda.
The national coach is demonstrating an increasingly assertive streak on this tour. He was in his element yesterday after including Fin Baxter in an otherwise unchanged starting XV; emphasising how the pressure is on the All Blacks at their Eden Park stronghold, how England have unsettled their rivals and how the home scrum requires official scrutiny.
Last weekend, Borthwick suggested that all the onus is on Scott Robertson’s Kiwi side this week and he doubled down on that view by revealing an awkward encounter with a bullish, partisan local as England flew out of the south island. He said: ‘When I was leaving Dunedin, there was a New Zealand supporter who said how well he thought we had done but he said, ‘You will get beaten next week and we will beat you with style’. I said, ‘Oh, really?’. He said, ‘Yes, we didn’t play with style.’
‘So, there is an expectation that New Zealand will beat us with style. It is their record (30 years unbeaten at Eden Park). That is the pressure on them.’
Robertson was tense and animated last weekend in his first Test in charge of the All Blacks, as they fought back from 15-10 down to go a point ahead and hang on to win 16-15. It was evident that the renowned former Crusaders coach was enduring a turbulent, volatile, emotional experience on the opening night of his new regime.
Steve Borthwick has piled the pressure on New Zealand ahead of the second Test at Eden Park
New Zealand were not at their best but won the opening test by a single point in Dunedin
England have quietly taken note. Borthwick, who is often remarkably impassive during matches said: ‘They spoke afterwards about being relieved. They talked a lot about relief. By watching them and seeing what was going on in their coach’s box, we certainly caused some stress and hopefully we can do that again this week.’
His attempt to unsettle his New Zealand counterpart was an intriguing development. And what of the Eden Park factor – home rule in the country’s biggest stadium since France won there way back in 1994. Again, according to Borthwick, that just adds to the hosts’ burden.
‘We are not avoiding it,’ he added. ‘We address things. There is a lot of talk this week about the record. It is not our record; it is their record. They are the ones who have to try and keep it. It is not us. That is the pressure and expectation that is on them.’
Meanwhile, England have escalated pre-match tensions, by raising concerns about the legality of New Zealand’s scrum with the second Test referee – after making a front-row change for the series finale. Baxter, Harlequins’ rookie loosehead, has been selected for his first Test start, having made a fine impact as an early replacement last weekend, in the one-point defeat against the All Blacks in Dunedin. The 22-year-old has replaced his injured club-mate, Joe Marler.
In the aftermath of England’s agonising loss at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Quins’ scrum coach, Adam Jones – speaking to Mail Sport – cast doubt on how the home No 1, Ethan De Groot, was able to gain the upper hand on Will Stuart, England’s tighthead. Several respected scrummaging experts have claimed that the Kiwi loosehead was acting illegally.
While remaining diplomatic, Borthwick confirmed that the subject would be on the agenda when he spoke to the Australian who will take charge of tomorrow’s match. ‘We have our call with the referee, Nic Berry, this evening,’ said the national coach.
‘He was on touch as an AR (assistant referee) last week, so he would have had a very good view of all aspects of the game. We’ll ask him the areas he has seen and what his view of the game this weekend will be. Clearly, the scrum will be one of those areas we will ask for his view on.’
‘I feel myself and Joel Jutge (World Rugby referee’s manager) have a great relationship. After each game, if there are things we want to clarify, it is a normal process that we will ask for clarification. Joel always gives us clarity. We will ask for Nic Berry’s perspective and we will obviously put forward what we have seen, and have a conversation.’
From his perspective at the heart of the front-row set-piece battle, England captain and hooker Jamie George added: ‘What people have said (about De Groot’s scrummaging) is out there and it’s pretty clear to see. We’ve had good feedback from World Rugby around what their take on it was. We’ve got every confidence in Nic Berry making sure that he makes the right call this weekend.’
Meanwhile, Borthwick expressed his conviction that Baxter can cope with the magnitude of this latest landmark occasion in his burgeoning career. ‘Fin did really well coming off the bench,’ he said, in reference to the debutant’s performance in Dunedin. ‘I see him as a really composed, calm young man. He’s a guy who seems to take things in his stride.’
