(Reuters) – Newly appointed England head coach Steve Borthwick said the team’s players are “hurting” after their recent run of poor results, adding that he hopes to harness their frustration and turn it into fuel for a successful Six Nations campaign.
The 43-year-old was appointed head coach on Monday, replacing Eddie Jones, who was dismissed earlier this month.
Borthwick, who will take charge for the first time in England’s Six Nations opener against Scotland on Feb. 4, has little time on hand to galvanize a team which has won only five of their 12 tests this year.
“The thing that strikes me is how much the players are hurting,” Borthwick told reporters on Monday.
“We can all see that… and I have been in touch with players that I have known for a long, long time and I know how much they are hurting because they really, really care, want to do well.
“So to not achieve what they wanted to, to lose the games the way it was, they hurt. What we need to do is make sure the pain they are feeling, we transform that from the start of the Six Nations and put everything into the performances on the pitch.”
Borthwick accepted that the timing of his appointment was not ideal with the 2023 World Cup in France on the horizon.
“I put deep thought into things and I looked at all the different factors,” Borthwick said. “That was certainly a consideration of the timing, I don’t think anyone thinks the timing is ideal.
“I also think there is an incredible excitement around this among the players. I think the potential of the team is enormous.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
