Steve Borthwick
Encyclopedia
Stephen William "Steve" Borthwick (born 12 October 1979 in Carlisle, Cumbria) is an English
rugby union
footballer who plays lock for Saracens F.C.
At International level, he is in the England Saxons
squad, having captained the senior England Rugby Union Team
between 2008 and 2010.
rugby team, with whom he went on a tour to Australia.
Borthwick joined Bath
in 1998 from Preston Grasshoppers
, making his debut against Saracens
in December 1998. During this time, he was balancing rugby commitments with study, and graduated from the University of Bath
in 2003 with a degree in Economics with Politics.
Borthwick had, arguably, his best season for Bath
in 2003–04
. A central figure in the absence of many senior players due to the 2003 Rugby World Cup
, he set about making his mark on the Zurich Premiership. Bath made the League Final that season, losing to London Wasps
. He was one of the three nominees for the Zurich Premiership Player of the Year award. In his final game with the club, Borthwick captained Bath to victory in the 2007–08 European Challenge Cup.
In January 2008, Borthwick announced that he would be leaving Bath at the end of the 2007–08 season for Saracens F.C.
.
In the 2009–10 season he was named as the captain for Saracens F.C. Injury prevented him from playing for much of the season but he returned for the Guinness Premiership final but not as captain, as Saracens were defeated by the Leicester Tigers
.
. Despite his presence in the line-out, he was not considered heavy enough for international rugby, but has since bulked out. A regular choice as the England A team
captain, from his debut against Wales A
at Wrexham in February 2001, he had already played on the full tour of South Africa the previous summer. Injury prevented him from being considered for the next trip the following year to Argentina
. Borthwick made his debut for England
against France
in the 2001 Six Nations
.
He came on as a blood replacement for Ben Kay
in the 25-14 win over Australia
in Melbourne in June 2003, his sixth cap. A member of England’s
wider 2003 World Cup
squad, he narrowly missed selection to the final 30. He regained his place in the England
squad after the 2003 World Cup and despite England's disappointing results, Borthwick was given credit for his solid play.
Borthwick initially failed to make England's squad for the 2005 Autumn internationals
, with Gloucester forward Alex Brown seemingly poised for a start instead, but injury ruled Brown out of contention and Borthwick stepped in, playing a significant role against Australia
, New Zealand and Samoa
.
Borthwick was selected as a member of the England 2007 Rugby World Cup squad
. He played in three Group matches, starting against Tonga
. He did not participate in the knockout games
.
match against Italy
in Rome, and on 13 May 2008 he was chosen to captain the full England squad on their 2008 summer tour of New Zealand. And in October 2008 he was named as Martin Johnson's first England Captain for the 2008 Autumn Internationals
.
Borthwick came under a lot of criticism after England's disappointing 2008 Autumn Internationals
in which they suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand and South Africa
. However Martin Johnson kept faith in him.
In the 2009 Six Nations
, Borthwick came under more criticism as England's discipline cost them victories against Ireland
and Wales
. However after performing much better against France
and Scotland
in the last two weeks of the tournament, Borthwick's critics seemed to leave him alone. In January 2010, Borthwick was confirmed as England captain for the 2010 Six Nations
.
After England's 15-15 Draw Against Scotland in the 2010 Six Nations, Steve Borthwick aggravated an ongoing knee injury and sought medical advice, This meant he was unavailable for selection against France so Tom Palmer was bought in as cover and Lewis Moody
was given the Captaincy in Borthwick's absence. Due to injury, Borthwick was not a member of the 2010 England rugby union tour of Australasia
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who plays lock for Saracens F.C.
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
At International level, he is in the England Saxons
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
squad, having captained the senior England Rugby Union Team
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
between 2008 and 2010.
Bath
Borthwick was captain of the Hutton Grammar SchoolHutton Grammar School
Hutton Grammar School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England day school for boys, with a co-educational Sixth Form. It is located south west of Preston, Lancashire, in Hutton, England. The school no longer offers boarding, and offers education for boys from ages of 11 through to 16, with the Sixth...
rugby team, with whom he went on a tour to Australia.
Borthwick joined Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in 1998 from Preston Grasshoppers
Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.
Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. It was founded on 28 September 1869 at a meeting held at the Bull Hotel, Preston making one of the oldest 'northern' rugby union teams....
, making his debut against Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
in December 1998. During this time, he was balancing rugby commitments with study, and graduated from the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
in 2003 with a degree in Economics with Politics.
Borthwick had, arguably, his best season for Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in 2003–04
2003–04 Zurich Premiership
The 2003-04 Zurich Premiership was the 17th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.Rotherham were relegated after failing to win a single match all season.- Table :-Week 1:-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:...
. A central figure in the absence of many senior players due to the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, he set about making his mark on the Zurich Premiership. Bath made the League Final that season, losing to London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
. He was one of the three nominees for the Zurich Premiership Player of the Year award. In his final game with the club, Borthwick captained Bath to victory in the 2007–08 European Challenge Cup.
In January 2008, Borthwick announced that he would be leaving Bath at the end of the 2007–08 season for Saracens F.C.
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
.
Saracens
Following his switch to Saracens, Borthwick was named co-captain for the 2008–09 season alongside Andy Farrell.In the 2009–10 season he was named as the captain for Saracens F.C. Injury prevented him from playing for much of the season but he returned for the Guinness Premiership final but not as captain, as Saracens were defeated by the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
.
International career
He first emerged during England's tour of South Africa in 20002000 England rugby union tour of South Africa
-Matches:-Touring party:*Manager: Clive Woodward*Assistant Manager: Andy Robinson*Captain: Martin Johnson-Full Back:Matt Perry , Tim Stimpson , Rob Thirlby .-Three-Quarters:...
. Despite his presence in the line-out, he was not considered heavy enough for international rugby, but has since bulked out. A regular choice as the England A team
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
captain, from his debut against Wales A
Wales A national rugby union team
The Wales A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Welsh national side. They have not played a game since April 2002.On the 20th February 2003, the Welsh Rugby Union were given permission to withdraw from the "A" team Six Nations Championship, citing costs as the primary reason...
at Wrexham in February 2001, he had already played on the full tour of South Africa the previous summer. Injury prevented him from being considered for the next trip the following year to Argentina
2002 England rugby union tour of Argentina
-Matches:-Forwards:...
. Borthwick made his debut for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in the 2001 Six Nations
2001 Six Nations Championship
The 2001 Six Nations Championship was the second series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-seventh series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was marred by an outbreak of...
.
He came on as a blood replacement for Ben Kay
Ben Kay
Benedict James Kay MBE is a retired English international rugby union footballer who played Second row forward for Leicester Tigers and .-Background:...
in the 25-14 win over Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in Melbourne in June 2003, his sixth cap. A member of England’s
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
wider 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
squad, he narrowly missed selection to the final 30. He regained his place in the England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
squad after the 2003 World Cup and despite England's disappointing results, Borthwick was given credit for his solid play.
Borthwick initially failed to make England's squad for the 2005 Autumn internationals
End of year rugby tests
The End of year rugby tests, known as Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere or Guinness Autumn Series in the Republic of Ireland, are a series of rugby union matches contested approximately each November...
, with Gloucester forward Alex Brown seemingly poised for a start instead, but injury ruled Brown out of contention and Borthwick stepped in, playing a significant role against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, New Zealand and Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
.
Borthwick was selected as a member of the England 2007 Rugby World Cup squad
2007 Rugby World Cup squads
This article lists the official squads for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Each of the twenty nations was required to confirm their 30-man squad by 14 August...
. He played in three Group matches, starting against Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
. He did not participate in the knockout games
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
.
Captaincy
On Sunday 10 February 2008 Borthwick was named captain for England's 2008 Six Nations2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
match against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in Rome, and on 13 May 2008 he was chosen to captain the full England squad on their 2008 summer tour of New Zealand. And in October 2008 he was named as Martin Johnson's first England Captain for the 2008 Autumn Internationals
2008 end of year rugby tests
The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the...
.
Borthwick came under a lot of criticism after England's disappointing 2008 Autumn Internationals
2008 end of year rugby tests
The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the...
in which they suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. However Martin Johnson kept faith in him.
In the 2009 Six Nations
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
, Borthwick came under more criticism as England's discipline cost them victories against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. However after performing much better against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in the last two weeks of the tournament, Borthwick's critics seemed to leave him alone. In January 2010, Borthwick was confirmed as England captain for the 2010 Six Nations
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
.
After England's 15-15 Draw Against Scotland in the 2010 Six Nations, Steve Borthwick aggravated an ongoing knee injury and sought medical advice, This meant he was unavailable for selection against France so Tom Palmer was bought in as cover and Lewis Moody
Lewis Moody
Lewis Walton Moody MBE is an English rugby union rugby player who currently plays for Bath Rugby and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He is renowned for his commitment to the physical aspects of the game....
was given the Captaincy in Borthwick's absence. Due to injury, Borthwick was not a member of the 2010 England rugby union tour of Australasia
2010 England rugby union tour of Australasia
The England rugby team's tour of Australasia in the June of 2010 saw the team play two tests against Australia, plus two mid-week games against the Australian Barbarians and a final match against New Zealand Māori....
.