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Borthwick’s call to home fans to roar on England

Steve Borthwick has urged the twickenham crowd to get behind england’s new era after the team were booed off in November.

Following the sacking of eddie Jones, Borthwick was fast-tracked in as head coach and he takes charge of his first match today against Scotland. he has urged his players to harness the pain of 2022, when england won only five times in 12 games, and give their fans something to smile about.

‘i ask the supporters to be behind this team,’ said Borthwick. ‘this is the first step in this next chapter of the england team. And this is a group of players

who care so much about England. I know I do, so I ask them to get behind and lift this team, as they always do. ‘I was 15 when I first played at Twickenham. Against Wales, Under 16s. My first thought was, “What an incredible stadium”, and there were probably 50 people there. ‘I still have a memory of my first cap. Now the ground’s bigger, it’s more vibrant. But it still holds all the memories of those famous England games. This is the next step in that famous history and the players want to do well.’ A core have survived Jones’s final defeat by South Africa, with Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell renewing their 10-12 axis amid a midfield injury crisis. But there is a new injection of talent, with the likes of Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ben Curry and Ollie Chessum drafted into the starting XV. ‘These players have trained really well and I sense an excitement in them,’ said Borthwick. ‘I sense that determination in them. I sense that from that pain of seeing the players walking off the pitch with their heads down from not that long ago. I sense players energised to get back out there.

‘I know there are a lot of England supporters who will be disappointed. I can’t rewrite history, neither can the players. All we can do is influence what is going to happen in the future. Every game matters. Our players are determined to play with the fight and commitment our fans expect and deserve.’ Forwards coach Richard Cockerill added: ‘We want to play with passion, pride and effort and show what it means to play for England. Nothing different to what you will have heard from Steve from day one.’