Steve Borthwick has endured and enjoyed a rollercoaster international career in equal measure since his debut in 2000. The monumental Saracens lock and club captain has earned over 50 caps for his country yet never featured at a World Cup and will be remembered most for the torrid 20 games he featured as the England captain.
With Steve at an intimidating 6 ft 6 in and the best part of 18 stone, Sport.co.uk put on a brave face to meet the man who first cut his teeth with Bath Rugby while reading Economics and Politics at the city’s University. After flinging his mortar board in the air he embarked on an international career spanning a decade and, at 31 years of age, looks to have plenty of time left to run.
The softly spoken Cumbria-born forward spoke to us about his new teammate Gavin Henson’s latest dance moves, his past as a bashful, nude model and how he feels his form has never been better.
Hi Steve, this season Saracens are sitting in 4th place in the Aviva Premiership and have narrowly lost their first two tough encounters in the Heineken Cup. How do you feel the Sarries are getting on so far?
I think we’re doing well. I think we’ve had a good start to the season despite the disappointing result at the weekend [losing 9-23 to Exeter Chiefs]. But we know we’ve got a lot of work to do. We know we are a better side than we are showing right now. We’re going to work hard to improve to be the best we can be.
You’ve had a torrid start to the Heineken Cup so far at Clermont Auvergne and home to Leinster. Can you still qualify?
In those two games the team played well. We played against the champions of France out there and we played very, very well. It was just the opportunities we had that we didn’t take. We dominated territory, we dominated possession but when they did get their chances they took them and from our mistakes they scored. In terms of moving forward in that competition let’s just see how the next couple of rounds go in December. We aim to win every game we go in to. We can’t control what other teams do but we’ll be working hard to win every game we’re involved in.
After reaching the final at Twickenham last season, narrowly losing out to Leicester in the final minute, do you feel Saracens are now labeled as one of the favourites and is this weight of expectation holding you back?
I certainly don’t feel [the pressure]. How other people describe us or perceive us, that’s their decision, that’s what they think. We want to win every game we go in to and we want to get better week on week. It’s a fierce competition. There are quality players, quality teams throughout all the clubs and if you’re off your game, you will get beaten. It’s as simple as that.
Brendan Venter [Saracens Director of Rugby] seems to have built a lot of camaraderie in the camp this season so, was Oktoberfest ultimately a success?
I think we work very hard to be a tight group and in Brendan we’ve got a super director of rugby, fantastic person and great coach. Some of the emphasis of the group is to enjoy each other’s company, enjoy doing what we do because we are very privileged to be professional sportsmen and that will help us be as successful as we can be.
I’ve got to ask you about the recent signing of Gavin Henson. Right now he’s probably more known for his dazzling feet on the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom rather than on the turf of Vicarage Road. What do you make of his arrival and, more importantly, how do you rate his cha-cha?
I rate him really highly. He’s been training with us in a few mornings when he’s not doing his other work [practicing his dance routines]. His skill level is exceptional and he’s in fantastic condition and shape. He’s a player who has competed and been tremendously successful at the very top of the game and to have a player like that as part of our group is a great privilege.
Another of your Saracens teammates, Alex Goode, is coming to the fore in the Premiership with fly-half Derick Hougaard’s injury and he looks an exciting prospect for England at 10 or 15. What do you make of his potential with club and country?
I think he’s a brilliant player and a great bloke. I think that Alex has got the skills to go to the very top of the game and I think that Saracens have got lots of younger players who can also do that. Brad Barritt, our inside centre at 12 is an incredible player, such a reliable performer. Andy Saull at 7 is a young guy with an incredible amount of talent. We’ve got lots of players coming through at Saracens who will hopefully wear an England shirt soon.
Sport.co.uk bumped into Ugo Monye at a recent RFU conference. He told us about an initiation song debutants have to perform in front of the England squad and we’ve heard about a similar tradition at Saracens involving a dance move called “the worm”. Can you shed some light on your experiences?
When something special happens, it’s someone’s birthday or a new person joins the group they’ve just got to do a little performance. It’s a harmless 5 or 10 seconds of a bit of fun in front of the guys out on the field. With England I’ve had to sing, and believe me, you don’t want to hear my singing voice.
What did you make of Ugo’s rendition of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?
That’s a good one. Most people know that one. The key is to get a song where most people can join in. At Saracens, we have got a couple of very good singers. We’ve got Matt Stevens joining in January and everyone knows about his singing voice [after he appeared on X Factor: Battle of the Stars in 2006]. Kelly Brown, the Scotland flanker who joined us in the summer, does a fantastic Meat Loaf. Michael Tagicakibau, our winger, does a brilliant Boyz II Men so we have our own performers within our group. And Andrew Sheridan [who released an album last month after being sidelined with a shoulder injury], I’ve heard him sing and he’s very, very good.
Stepping out of the recording studio and heading back to matters on the pitch, how do you think England will do in this autumn season of internationals?
I think it is an exciting opportunity and things will go well. They are four tough games. They will face three of the best teams from the Southern Hemisphere, the Tri-Nations teams, so it’s fierce competition but I think they will do very well.
Looking at the game this weekend, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter are super players and they have a very strong front row. At this level you try to pick out individuals but everybody is a phenomenal talent. There are some exciting games coming up at Twickenham.
Looking at your international career, you’ve been dealt some rotten luck with England – missing out at the 2003 World Cup and not featuring as much as you would have liked in 2007 – yet you’ve been around the set up for over a decade. What are your highs and lows?
Captaining your country is a phenomenal experience. It’s the very pinnacle of my career. Playing for England for the first time is an enormous privilege to represent your country and something you work very hard for and I was fortunate enough to do. It’s hugely enjoyable every time you’re involved in the England squad.
In terms of the low moments, there are the defeats. You work desperately hard to be successful. As a team you want it for each other. You want it for all the other players to enjoy success so when you have a defeat it’s really disappointing. I think what is important is not to dwell on it but to look at why there was a defeat, why did it happen and work to be a better team.
In terms of your captaincy how do you rate your performance over the 20 games you led the team?
I think ultimately your performance is judged on wins and losses and through that period the England team wasn’t as successful as we wanted to be. During that period there was a lot of change with new players and new coaches and it was developing. We went through some pretty harsh experiences that will make the team stronger for the future. Sometimes you go through tough experiences and you reap the rewards later on.
The next 12 months are crucial for you personally and for English rugby ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand. With the emergence of young, dynamic locks such as Courtney Lawes and Dave Attwood breaking into the England squad, do you feel you still have a lot to offer this team?
Certainly. In my position I’m not that old. I think that I’m playing really well, I’m fit and healthy and fitter than I’ve ever been really. I’m in very good shape. When you’re not with England you are with your club and I am part of a superb club with Saracens and a great bunch of people. It is my job to work hard to enjoy playing rugby and be successful at it for Saracens. Ultimately this season that’s been going pretty well. I’ve been playing well, Saracens have gone pretty well and I feel like I’m leading well. I’m enjoying my rugby more than I have done for a very long time.
We heard you were initially not considered big enough for international level rugby and consequently bulked up. But with the number of injuries blighting the game lately, leading to the recent retirements of Harry Ellis and Phil Vickery, do you feel too much emphasis is being put on encouraging the physicality of players?
It’s part of the game. To play the game your physical condition has to be exemplary. There’s no denying that. I watched the young players at Saracens and they’ve got an excellent academy group. They work very hard on their skills. If you look at the coaches we have as part of the academy we’ve got Richard Hill, a World Cup winner, Mosese Rauluni, captain of Fiji, Kev Sorrell who played over 300 games for Saracens; these are the guys helping develop our younger players. They’re working so hard on the understanding of the game to improve all aspects, not just the physical side of it. We’re in a professional sport where you’ve got to handle the physical condition right but what I see with young players today is them working hard on skill levels also.
You are here in Wembley at a school promoting numeracy among young children. I guess they picked you because when you first broke into the Bath team back in 1998 you were still studying Economics and Politics at Bath University. How important is a full education for young rugby players starting their careers today?
I think it is such an important part. I’m studying back at university now and there are lots of Saracens players involved at university and with different things such as skills programs at colleges and work experience. There’s a group of players who can be cocooned in this almost surreal world of professional sport and, for want of a better word, the real world can be kept at quite a distance. For players to be exposed to different things – even for me coming here today, it’s been a while since I was back in school – it’s great to be playing rugby with the kids and speaking to the teachers. It’s a great experience rather than simply being at a training ground. To have other experiences is very important.
Lastly I wanted to ask you about that nude photo shoot for Powerade with Paul Sackey and Shane Williams…still getting stick for it?
I think that there were many players who were actually quite jealous. There are a fair number of players who like to pose; I’m not one of them. It was a great campaign for Powerade. Through that February period they achieved their best sales they have ever had. It was quite embarrassing but I think there were some players who were jealous they hadn’t got asked to do it.
To see Steve in all his glory click here: http://bit.ly/9DulK4