Ahead of the Six Nations, an All Blacks skills guru has arrived in England.
After this summer’s tour to New Zealand, England’s defense coach Kevin Sinfield will leave Steve Borthwick’s coaching team.
Prior to this year’s Six Nations, Borthwick said that he has reorganized his coaching team, moving Sinfield to skills and kicking before his departure later in the year.
Andrew Strawbridge, the master of skills who guided the All Blacks to the 2023 Rugby World Cup silver medal, will oversee all areas as a consultant for the first four weeks of this year’s competition.
Felix Jones, the Irishman who won two consecutive World Cups as South Africa’s assistant coach, will take Sinfield’s post; Borthwick is unaware of the goals and difficulties facing his defense coach going forward. Richard Wigglesworth and Tom Harrison, who play attack and scrum, respectively, still have their positions.
More from Stuff: * Super Rugby’s future and potential direction * Five items that are simply inappropriate for a bedroom * England coach Steve Borthwick takes a chance with his World Cup team
At a press conference on Thursday ahead of the Six Nations, Borthwick stated, “Kev made the decision over what he wanted to do” (Friday NZT).
“Every management member had time to ponder at the World Cup’s conclusion as we looked ahead to the upcoming four years and cycle. Every member of the management team needed time to unwind, de-stress, think, and spend time with friends and family following such a major event as the World Cup. After we met a few weeks later, Kev informed me of his choice.
You cannot overestimate the value that Kev has brought, the work he has done, and the relationships he has forged throughout these first 12 months of the team’s reset.
It’s wonderful that he will be sticking with the team [until the autumn], collaborating with the players and supporting the group as it moves forward.
“Therefore, I have shifted his position to skills, and he will be focusing on his catch-pass abilities with the goalies and kickers, which he excels at.”
Jones will take over as defense coach for Sinfield, but Borthwick acknowledged that the Irishman’s influence might go beyond defense, much like Strawbridge’s did.
“Felix is a new member with a great deal of international experience, having competed for South Africa in the last two World Cups and winning two gold medals,” Borthwick remarked. His addition gives our coaching staff a new perspective.
“If you look at our coaching staff right now, you’ll see that many of them have experience coaching in the Premiership—several of them have been there for less than a year. Just over a year ago, Wiggy [Wigglesworth] was a Premiership player. We are well-versed in both European rugby and the Premiership. Felix is familiar with both the South African and Irish systems.
“Having Andrew join us, we benefit from his expertise of Super Rugby and New Zealand.” We’ve put together an intriguing combination of coaches and knowledge there.
Following his playing career at Waikato, Strawbridge became a coach in 2003, spending two seasons at North Harbour and three seasons at Auckland. He was a member of the coaching staff for the New Zealand Under-20s during this period, when the Baby Blacks won two world championships.
Regarding the 59-year-old Andrew, who joined the All Blacks in 2022, Borthwick stated, “Andrew is another coach with a wealth of knowledge.”
“He has a wealth of experience and a proven track record in both Super Rugby and international rugby. Most recently, he assisted New Zealand in reaching the Rugby World Cup final in 2023.
“Andrew has a stellar reputation in the field of player development, having assisted numerous athletes in becoming some of the greatest in the world. His effort in and around the contact area is highly respected since it guarantees teams get the ball quickly enough to mount a serious attack.
“I’m excited for him to join the team and contribute the significant value he will undoubtedly bring.”
Leave a Reply