‘I was stopped in the street’: Steve Borthwick Claps Back at Boastful New Zealand Public

In a hard-fought match, England led the All Blacks 17-13 with a quarter of the game remaining, thanks to two try assists by Marcus Smith on cross-field kicks to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman, giving them a 14-13 lead at half-time. Although New Zealand ultimately won, Borthwick’s team was just one play away from securing a draw.

“A lot of people were saying after the first Test that New Zealand were going to get so much better,” Borthwick said in his post-match review. “I’ve been told by people in the street about 10 times a day how much we were going to get blown away at Eden Park.”

He recounted a particularly memorable encounter. “I was stopped in the street yesterday by a gentleman who told me that they’d unpicked our rush defence, they knew how we were going to beat it, and I said, ‘ok, thank you for that’.”

Borthwick also shared an amusing incident from the day of the match. “I was told in the lift today that it was a privilege for us to play at Eden Park and we’d be lucky to get away with less than 50 points conceded.”

Despite the skepticism, Borthwick praised his team’s resilience. “The team just kept coming at New Zealand today and just kept fighting. When the team went down 24-17, some teams wouldn’t have come back like these guys did. To get back to the New Zealand line and try hard to get the seven points for that draw, that’s great credit to them, and I’m very proud to work with them. A lot of people were writing us off.”

When asked if his team had earned the respect of the Kiwi public, Borthwick remained unconcerned, focusing instead on his team’s development. “My concern is firstly with the players being proud of their efforts themselves, and I think they should be,” he said. “England rugby supporters of the team are making me proud. My job is to keep making sure I help this team develop. I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, I don’t shy away from that.”

Borthwick clarified that the banter with New Zealand fans was all in good humor and that he and the squad have “loved” their time in New Zealand, with many players on their first tour to the country.

“I think what a brilliant country to come and tour in, you have that passion for rugby. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, we’ve been here just under three weeks and it’s been a phenomenal few weeks here,” he said. “The players, the whole management team, have loved being in this fabulous country. To have people so passionate about this incredible sport is brilliant.”

Reflecting on the warm reception, Borthwick added, “Obviously in England we have that passion, but we also have a lot of competing sports. I will reiterate how much we have loved being in New Zealand, how we’ve been welcomed in New Zealand. Even the stopping in the street has been done in a good manner. Getting trapped in the lift, it’s done in a good manner by passionate New Zealand supporters.”

Despite the loss, Borthwick and his team leave New Zealand with their heads held high, looking forward to building on their progress and continuing to defy expectations.