England’s players are being inhibited by the quality of Steve Borthwick’s coaching team, according to former captain Will Carling, who also suggested the squad are “highly sensitive” to criticism.
Despite winning the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years, England drew very little praise for their 16-15 victory against Scotland which Carling called “very ugly”.
This in turn led to a furious backlash from vice captain Ellis Genge, who called former players leading the criticism “out of touch”. Carling, who previously engaged in a social media back-and-forth with Genge, rejected the prop’s dismissal of their views.
Carling was one of England’s most successful captains, leading the team to 44 wins in 59 Tests in a 1990s period in which they won four Five Nations titles. Yet while this current England team remain in the hunt for the Six Nations title ahead of playing Italy on Sunday, Carling suggested the lack of experience in Borthwick’s coaching ticket has contributed to several players, including scrum-half Alex Mitchell, performing below their club potential.
“You look at the calibre of the England coaching team and you have to question whether that’s the best we can put out there,” Carling said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Some of them are learning, some of them are very young and maybe lack the experience at Test level.
“Maybe that’s what we’re seeing impact on the players. Someone like Alex Mitchell has been outstanding [for Northampton] all season and yet we see him play in a very different way for England. We do have some talented players there’s no doubt. And maybe we’re seeing a slightly restricted version of them.”
Carling had previously worked as a mentor to the players under former head coach Eddie Jones but his connections with the present squad have not prevented him from airing his opinions. Nor is he alone in expecting more from Borthwick’s team with Ben Youngs, who retired after the 2023 World Cup as England’s most-capped male player, asking in an interview with Telegraph Sport whether this side are “being given enough freedom?”
This led to a strident response from Genge last week, when he said that the criticism “blew his mind” after England halted a run of seven successive defeats against tier-one opposition. However, Carling argues that he and other former players are perfectly entitled to their opinions.
“I wouldn’t necessarily agree with him,” Carling said. “A lot of ex-players are hugely experienced and have a lot of knowledge. But I understand that when you’re a current player you’re highly sensitive. You’re trying as hard as you can to win games [and] they’ve had a tough run. Let’s be honest, we’re talking about a tough run for three or four years now. That’s where players have to understand people will have opinions.
“I remember all these times we had some very ugly wins and you watch the reaction of the media and the fans. It is a bit frustrating but you have to take a deep breath and accept that’s part and parcel of it. I still think we’re way off the potential of this team and let’s just hope we start seeing that. There are definitely frustrations and that’s what the players probably sense from the fans and the media.”
