🌹 Steve Borthwick opens up about his career, life as England's Head Coach & facing criticism

The England head coach Steve Borthwick joins Payno and Hask where the guys find out about the man behind the badge. We hear of how his experiences as a club and an international player have shaped how he deals with everything that comes with having the top job in English rugby.
Season 4 is sponsored by Continental Tyres
0:01 - Show Intro
0:51 - Show Starts
1:51 - Steve Borthwick joins us
4:34 - Post Six Nations
5:29 - Life outside of Rugby
11:49 - Steve Borthwick on Steve Borthwick
19:07 - Responsibility
20:11 - England: Then & Now
28:54 - Bath
35:20 - Shaping the future
43:22 - Andy Farrell
50:49 - The Noise
57:48 - If England win the World Cup
1:02:35 - England Kicking On
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#EnglandRugby #SteveBorthwick #Rugby

[@pakkoroban6377]

PLEASE get Owen Farrell on GB&R - would love to see a reunion with Hask 😉🤣 Like if you agree

[@TheWbapricey]

Best mates back together again 🤣

[@natorpen-palmer7192]

Hell will freeze over, first...

[@Jack-qv5ru]

Fans need to get behind Borthwick. He’s taking us somewhere.

[@philsimon4457]

The big man just genuinely cares about the individuals and those close to them that walk out in the battlefield! Top man ❤

[@user-ql6ob9wb2i]

good to hear Borthers talk so openly!

[@domblanc224]

Really enjoyed hearing Borthers on GBR. Comes across like a top man, team first, players at the centre. Wish him all the best, and loved watching England towards the end of the Six Nations. Believe in Steve!

[@joeboonmusic4004]

Absolutely. Far too many nay-sayers which is becoming typical of England rugby fans... everyone else gets behind their team and we're lucky to have a great coach like him without all the braggadocio of Eddie Jones..

[@adamgranger5725]

Great show. As a Springbok supporter, I love to hear all the stories about the human beings behind the game I love. Borthers is a humble man and a great asset to English rugby.

[@timwannell6477]

Cheers brother! As an English fan- big fan of Rassie. Absolute legend- great coach

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Steve is the Ted Lasso of England rugby. Humble, supportive and cares for the players. Wish him every success

[@dalejeavons3074]

After watching this interview, I think the England team has got the right man for the job.

[@saren6538]

I’ve always liked Steve borthwick, something about him ..and like him even more now. Fan from Ireland

[@albertvandenberg1866]

All respect for England coach Steve Borthwick. From a Saffa.

[@timwannell6477]

Get on Bokka! Love the rugby love 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇿🇦

[@barkerk100]

I like this man. The team will only get better.

[@monocularfogey]

Terrific interview with a wonderful, inspirational coach. He's steering England well. Best of luck in the summer tour from an Ireland supporter, I'll be raising a glass.

[@matthewbull6102]

Best move he made was getting Felix Jones to join - he is absolutely brilliant (i am a Springbok fan). I can already see his influence in last couple of games - the potential of england being realised.

[@patrickthomas8101]

You could tell the players look a lot fitter and more focused than before interesting to see how they would fare in Japan and New Zealand.

[@notenoughstones3873]

@@patrickthomas8101that’s also down to Aled Walters the S&C coach (another ex SA coach) who came in just before the 2023 6N.

[@StanWilks]

Easy to forget that Borthers played in the 2007 World Cup. He had a great game against Tonga!

[@BootsontheTable]

Excellent interview, thanks so much for showing the man behind the tracksuit

[@flintoff24]

Never liked Steve as England captain and will always remember that interview after the Italy match. I can see over the last decade I was wrong about him. He was always hard work personified but the humanity, the care and the morality were not in the public domain. Steve, thank you for your coaching efforts around the world and making rugby a better place

[@BertFlashman]

Massive fan of Borthwick. Hopes it goes well for him with England. He came to my little cousin's junior rugby and was apparently great.

[@artswithus3924]

Well done GBR for promoting England positively to counter the stinky chat. Keep trucking Mr Borthwick!

[@simoping]

3 mins in .. I liked Borthers.... at the end I liked him even more.. proper guy.. great outlook..

[@alexmacfarlane4494]

Loved the hard love approach of Eddie when he took England into a Grand Slam and his extraordinary unbeaten run and WC final, but the contrast in the relative, perceived happiness and state of mind of the squad under Borthers is unreal. When Eddies team were winning it all looked calmness and light, but when the wheels fell off it looked like a car crash. When Eddie's players were interviewed when they were struggling on the field, their discomfort was palpable. Borthers has created a more content group of players and the success of the new playing style and approach, still a work in progress, certainly appears to have the full backing of backroom staff (also happier), as well as the squad. Onwards and upwards Mr Borthwick.

[@guyhmajor]

Very good point!!

[@user-iv7nu3qn3f]

Best interview ever on GBR! Borthwick was brilliant. Should be required watching for those whining Pommy rugby journalists. He will do English rugby proud. See you guys in Oz in few years!

[@danbleakman874]

It should be, but those whiny journos have papers to sell and advertisers to please, so we'll always see clickbait and negativity. GBR doesn't need to answer to anyone, so we'll get a lot better quality of interviews without the crap. And agree, best interview on here by far. Big hand to the RFU media department for letting big Steve do this as well.

[@danielowen-parr8603]

Brilliant, great to here him this speak and come on England. We are in good hands

[@benunderduress]

Believe in Steve!

[@mg2093]

“Rock under the beach towel” ffs haha. I actually think my favourite thing about this show is Alex’s many, many, many turn of phrases. He has this endless well of turn of phrases, always puts a smile on my face and gives me a chuckle.

[@DH-gg6jx]

Gets a lot of stick does Steve - but no matter what your opinion of him, one thing that is undoubtable is his passion and ambition and not necessarily for himself; his passion for wanting his players experiences to be the best it can be is clear.

[@gergemini2993]

Irishman here, I liked Steve from day 1, very likable chap and s great rugby brain! England will only getting better with him at the Helmut! I'm still heartbroken over our 1 point loss to England and the back to back grand slam dream smashed 😭😊

[@joeboonmusic4004]

You folks are still the team to beat in Europe! And the benchmark for grassroots rugby/player pathways.

[@saren6538]

So true , he’s very well liked here in Ireland

[@nlb741]

I really like Steve - Springbok supporter

[@robertwhalley882]

Good on Borthwick, we needed that interview. He is such a wet lettuce in post match interviews but here we can see a very positive and unique kind of character; one that cares and understands that good coaching is liberation of talent mixed in with cohesion and experience and at the same time is clearly hyper competitive, demanding and we know to be informed by data.

[@daveneil2893]

I think Steve is a true Leader and he is an inspirational speaker. I would follow him into battle.

[@MrKelso85]

I’m Welsh, I like him il be honest … this was a surprise

[@patrickyoung3503]

Great insight into English rugby under Steve Borthwick .I wish him well as coach to the English team . Irish fan here .

[@kenmason9354]

This gives you confidence in the man behind England 👏👏

[@danbleakman874]

Great interview guys. While Steve doesn't like talking about himself, it's an essential part of what he does. People need to see the man behind the plan and for the first time since Woodward (love him or hate him), it feels like we have a coach who's a student of the game, who's put together a strategy and knows exactly where he wants to take this team. Bravo Steve. Interesting how he talks about playing big and without fear... shades of the England cricket team and their ethos. It's great we recognise coaches (and employ them), who clearly understand how professional sport is changing... from playing with the fear of God in you, to relaxing, trusting the skills and the process. Nice work.

[@theanglianflaneurs5857]

Brilliant show and what an impressive man Steve is. Humility, passion and intelligence. So nice to see someone with his background prosper in the game. Rugby needs more people like him!

[@unclefester831]

Maro loves this man. Maro owes his career to this man. This man taught Maro everything about lineouts.

[@Big-Si2253]

A decent human being first...and then a coach. No wonder his players like and respect him.

[@bernieflynn4803]

Fans everywhere cant fail to enjoy this show. Watching this in NZ , looking forward to England touring soon!

[@johnnyamos2446]

"Never play small" love it.

[@paulengland6141]

47 minutes in, Borthers voice breaking when he talks about players shrinking after making mistakes. He genuinely believes in his players and their ability & skill. That's the kind of guy you fight for.

[@paulhaggett3710]

Brilliant summing up at the end by Hask. He nailed it

[@denisg4288]

Spot one

[@gbe4452]

What a great interview from Steve Borthwick. I salute you sir. Humble and focused, I have no doubt that England will go places with his guidance. From a BOK fan.

[@user-ot1wo3ur1k]

Having now listened to SB talk about his passion not only for the game, but for England and the players I have to say I have a new found respect and admiration for the man.

[@mbloy613]

Thanks for this interview, and for allowing England fans to better understand the leadership of the team. I can really relate to what Steve had to say and I wish him and the boys all the very best on the journey that they are on.

[@gravelbikemark]

Outstanding looking forward to the n xx few years I’ll admin I was pretty frustrated with borthers but I’ll take my hat off he is starting to create something amazing

[@mobsquad8500]

LOVE STEVE! Glad he did this!! The message…AMAZING! Players first!!! I wish we could know more about true rugby thoughts…”loves to talk about rugby”, what a chance to talk about the actual game. Maybe next time hahahaha

[@glenandrews9725]

What a top man. Keep up the good work Steve and best of luck

[@rhyswoodfin2739]

Great interview, excited to see the England team develop further under Steve!

[@ac2244]

Brilliant ep. So insightful into Borthwick and his ethos for the England team!

[@horfieldboy9478]

Great interview - good luck for the future. Had my doubts but they are disappearing the more and more I see. Can't question his desire or integrity.

[@richardgiles5608]

Every time I hear Steve speak I like him more, I feel his empathy for the players while still pushing them hard is a real strength of his. A lot of people in management type positions are very bad at understanding that people are different and you need different approaches to get the best out of them. To many managers don't do this, they treat everyone the same and then just blame the player or employee if they are not performing, not understanding that part of there job is not just to tell them what to do but to understand them, motivate them and help them achieve it

[@sharronemery9740]

Amazing discussion & interview…. Congrats to the GBR team and Borthwick sounds an amazing coach 👏👏👏

[@OurDigitalClassRoom]

This is why I love rugby. Wonderful interview. Thank you.

[@JuddLofthouse]

Steve is the man to take England forward Eddie was ok but he’s not English (no problem) but Steve speaks great I really love the passion his knowledge is second to none 👌👌👍great video this week boys

[@michaelduffin1722]

Great interview 👍

[@JaseUKHunting]

Only halfway through but thoroughly enjoying this video, Steve is coming across as a passionate down to earth person that wants what's best not only for the England team and it's squad but the Rugby game too all the way to grass roots! New found respect for the man!

[@henrymilleruk100]

Great episode. #believeinsteve

[@user-nh1ig6fy9p]

Great human. All the best. Even though, Bokke fan

[@middlespike13]

BELIEVE IN STEVE

[@joeboonmusic4004]

You can tell just how much he cares about his players. You could see it at Tigers and can see it now with England... what more could an England fan ask for? Especially if this last 6N is a sign of things to come. I love seeing England win, but I love seeing it way more now that we have an English gentleman in charge.

[@brianfeltham-daniels905]

That was excellent!

[@ianunwin]

hope steve reigns along time

[@JohnRidley12]

His descriptions of England players being overly scared of mistakes makes sense of a lot of performances over the last few years. Convinced he's the right guy for the job

[@NeilDeBarna]

Steve is the complete opposite of Eddie Jones and is thusly quite a likeable chap! Going to be an interesting few years leading up to the '27 RWC.

[@garethclayton]

Brilliant interview guys, I thought Steve was very open and impressive.

[@Dinkybear622]

Psychological safety. Critical to creating high performance teams.

[@jamesharvey6482]

Perhaps a note to let the guest speak when asked a question rather than Hask jumping in with his story. Less is more on questioning…

[@SimonPeterKing]

Despite being fully subbed to the channel this didn’t come up in my notifications, only learned about it via IG. Painfully low views for such a big interview, YT being weird here

[@sharondawson1192]

Thank you for the laughs and giggles. Did Isabelle and Charlie call childline?

[@ianbowie5096]

Great episode guys....it is clear thst Steve loves he game and is a great man....and as a Scotsmsn hope he isn't too successful a coach (!) 🏉🏉

[@themanabroad7800]

Believe in Steve

[@timwannell6477]

God bless Borthers

[@joemartin4751]

You’d follow Steve over the top no problem. He cares about his players. They want to play for him I’m dead certain.

[@user-vw7wh4zd1v]

Very good, changed my opinion on Borthers. Good man. Should start Smith though :)

[@robcousins231]

There's something about these Northerners that make them great coaches. You think of Borthers, Andy Farrell, Stu Lancaster, Geoff Cooke, Jack Rowell, Brian Ashton etc

[@navinseneviratne139]

The bath team brothers joined as a 17/18 year old - that team - oh my god ……

[@thecuttingsark5094]

Like him. Stay on target Steve

[@MkVenner1975]

We can’t on one hand not pick foreign based Englishmen whist at the same time filling Premiership teams with players who aren’t English qualified, absolutely crazy.

[@Bobbibouchersmumwasright]

I’m liking him more by the day… sounds like he would do the job for free.. that’s a trait I like to see in sport

[@jamesgiles9959]

I have warmed to Steve unfortunately English Rugby is always judged on results : However I thing England are in a good place

[@markrobinson5780]

I think the thing is that the thing I think is the thing I think

[@davidpenston2855]

Geezer sounds like he’s straight of SAS who dares wins

[@carlh296]

What England need more than anything is a limit on the number of foreign players playing in each team. Young lads cannot come through when there are so many good, not great, foreigners taking up spots. Serious lack of English No. 12's at club level as a perfect example.

[@njmayhew]

I don't doubt his passion and commitment, but I was just expecting 'more' I - think I must have watched a different video? Maybe he's shy, but SB still comes across to me as too much of a politician. As a lifelong Bath fan, the insights into his early days at the club - and what a toxic environment it was - were eye opening, but apart from that lots of words come out but he doesn't actually say very much. Alex & Hask were far too nice too him and let him get away without answering their questions. I notice that Tins was absent...any coincidence that it was he who was highly critical during early 6N rounds and openly said he would rather England lose but play positively, than scrape a win in a turgid manner? Also completely brushed over the challenge of the NZ tour - come on guys! I will be amazed if we manage to lose by less than 20 points in the Tests against NZ. Anyway, as always, an interesting watch, so thank you to the GBR team, but still slightly disappointed at the output.

[@markbennett9787]

How does he get think that he is going to improve the financial management of English clubs so that they can retain players for him to select whilst the €€€€s available in France, even in ProD2, are so attractive? Also , I thought Jack Willis was a special case because of the demise of Wasps ?

[@joeboonmusic4004]

I believe the 'special case' scenario disappeared when Willis decided to renew his contract with Toulouse? Something along those lines... daft I know. Especially when you consider a potential back row of CCS, Willis/Underhill and Earl.

[@BertFlashman]

I doubt Steve is to fussed about all of this. Englands fans always seem to think that theiris a saviour who will talke their team to another level, the France situation amplfiies this as we can't select these players. Steve has stressed continuity. He rates the players hie has and relaises that the system and the environment are far more important for success. He coached Willis in the six nations and if he was actually part of his plans are reckon he would have come back, like Marhant is as overule, with a new hybrid contract, the money is jsut as good if not better. if England truly want a player they will most likely stay in England.

[@patrickchilds2987]

SB is in charge of the England Rugby Team . The financial management of the premiership and the eligibility of English playets is nothing to do with him

[@BertFlashman]

Obviously

[@firepunch5001]

Not the best interview for me but like this coach his more taped in it seems would have loved to hear how his piecing the team together all the cogs year to year, to achieve number one status at one time number one as winning a world cup as in 03 and obviously as a South African England just has that natural rugby pedigree finals,semi-finals ect big game winners once of for two long ..but as said alot more depth and vision would be to hear of especially with the Black tour coming up.

[@nathanhealey-potter8684]

If they want to keep players they need to scrap the salary cap.

[@joelhickman9158]

He still cant answer a question properly. He needs yo open up more about his authentic self. Good effort though Alex, yiu asked ghe right questions

[@patrickchilds2987]

Still ? What question didn't he answer ?

[@AlexWaite]

You can really now see how much these lads are influenced by dreadful England set-ups of the past

[@tikemyson5627]

His nose has been destroyed mind

[@benbenester1229]

Talked but said nothing really… one boring bloke

[@G-regTaylor]

You clearly weren’t listening

[@patrickchilds2987]

I thought he answered every question and was very open and articulate. Maybe you should try listening

[@handcrafted30]

Genuinely the most boring bloke ever.

[@saren6538]

But very genuine and very likeable

[@handcrafted30]

@@saren6538 I will give him that. He was.

[@carlh296]

I think the thing is he does not answer a question directly, he goes off on tangents all the time, and goes on and on, in a very dulcet tone. Saying that, really liked listening to his views.

[@neilcarpenter2669]

He isn't meant to be a Vaudeville act , your comment says a lot more about you than it does about him I can assure you.

[@BertFlashman]

who cares. He is not there to entertain you.

[@nicansionnaigh]

Stop the press! The most boring man in rugby talking complete shite for an hour. James you’re a legend buddy.

[@BertFlashman]

People like you are one of the core reasons why England has not had more success.

[@Hrodwulf9]

Steve Borthwicks humility is much needed in the England setup. You guys tend to walk around like you're world champions when actually you haven't done shit. Bring it down a notch, be more real and true to yourselves. From a Springbok fan I'm a big fan of Steve Borthwick as a coach.

[@fatneck2008]

Come on England!