Steve Borthwick wants to create an England team who fight for each other and give supporters something to be proud of.
“Ultimately, on that first game of the Six Nations, are we going to be perfect? No. Is it going to be exactly how the team is going to play? No. It is going to be the start. But what is absolutely clear is, the team needs to go out there and it needs to fight.
“We need to compete so that when we walk out, this crowd is roaring. I want that Twickenham roar. Our job is to play in a manner, fight in a manner and compete in a manner that keeps them roaring,” he said passionately.
He was hugely proud of this at Leicester and would like to carry it across to his England squad.
“When I started at Leicester I wanted to produce a team the supporters and each of the players could be proud of, and their friends and family could be proud of,” he added. “Part of that is you’ve got to fight, compete for everything. Style of play is one thing, the way you go about it is another.
“I want to produce a team that delivers. I’m going to devote myself wholeheartedly to try to help this team deliver. A team that we can all be proud of. An England team that is successful. An England team that even if it doesn’t win, it plays, it fights and it competes.”
Borthwick insists every game counts, the first of which under his tenure is only a few weeks away. While recognising the short time period until the World Cup, he also emphasises the importance of the Six Nations.
“Every game matters. Every single game you play for England matters. The one that’s in my mind is at the start of that Six Nations. We will be using every minute we have to prepare this team as well as we can for the first game of that Six Nations.”
“We know the World Cup is not far away, but the focus is on the start of the Six Nations. It is one of the most prestigious competitions in world sport, so we want to ensure we are as prepared as possible for the start of the tournament,” he added.
Borthwick is only permitted to make five changes to the Elite Player Squad for the first camp at the start of January.
“What I am going to do is look at every single player and look at how we make this squad the best England squad we can possibly make right now. I think the challenge is the amount of changes you make, you have only got five changes within that squad list. I promise you, I am going to be looking at every single player,” he said.
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