[A38]

I usually find it difficult to be sympathetic to what Mr Jones says - but there would appear to be an element of truth in what he says:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/66679950

It would be wrong, if there is a debacle in France, to place the blame entirely on Borthwick.

[poyntonshark]

It would absolutely be wrong to place all the blame on Borthwick, but the RFU actually has little say in player development these days. Since they abdicated responsibility for the professional game then that responsibility lies generally with the clubs. Obviously RFU gets intermittent access to those they feel are the elite, and I believe that RFU has some input into the various professional academies, but hardly control. I 'm sure RFU could do more with the access they have to younger players (which may well be the critical time), but once they are old enough to be in an academy they have limited say.

[TeflonTed]

The RFU are to blame in as much as they appointed Borthwick. Do they not remember Martin Johnson.

One-out pick and go, wave your arms and shout a lot at lineouts, give strict instructions to scrummie to ignore anyone with no 11 or higher on their shirt, and issue wingers with tights and warm gloves. In the rare event that 10 or 15 come into possession of an ovoid object with Gilbert written on it they should immediately kick it away as far as possible.

Really exciting stuff, and ensures a position somewhere near the bottom of the 6N table.

Oh, and be careful to pick mostly players well past their best, particularly if there’s a big tournament coming up. And if you do bow to pressure and notice 2 of the premiership’s most exciting young 10’s be sure to drop one of them after a couple of token run-outs (it encourages a player hugely), and if you keep one in the squad do be careful to play him out of position and only in the last quarter of the game.

[A38]

There is a relevant article in The Times today by Owen Slot.

The article's headline is: Borthwick has been abandoned by the man who dropped him in deep end.

The last paragraph of the article reads:-

"The buck stops, of course, with Bill Sweeney, the RFU Chief Executive, so you would be reassured that at least Sweeney himself has been out there supporting Borthwick, backing his man, standing by him in public. At least you would be reassured if any of that had actually happened. In fact, at a time when his man needs him most, Sweeney has gone missing - not seen, not heard, not apparently taking responsibility."