Steve Borthwick insists England are ready to defy gloomy predictions for their World Cup by delivering a reaction against Argentina in Saturday’s pivotal opener.
The Pumas are in the rare position of being assigned favourites for the main event of Pool D, based on a strong year under the guidance of Michael Cheika and their 30-29 victory at Twickenham in November.
England, meanwhile, have gone into freefall following a run of five defeats in six Tests that no longer makes qualification for the knockout phase appear to be the formality it once was.
Borthwick, who has named Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Tom Curry at openside for the Marseille showdown, insists the low expectations have sent ripples of indignation through the squad.
“I sense there is a feeling among the players they’ve been written off too early. People have called time on them a bit too early,” England’s head coach said.
“I sense the frustration about what people have been saying about them and right now I have an expectation that they will go and perform with the quality that they have.
“I sense from them that there’s a real determination to go and put their best performances on the park.
“There is a lot of class in this squad. The players have a hell of a lot more to go. They can’t wait to get stuck in on Saturday night.
“Our job is put in a performance that this team is capable of and I know these players are capable of. I know these players are determined to deliver on Saturday night. That’s our job now.”
Borthwick’s theme of an England side ready to exit their slump in time to make an impact at the World Cup was taken up by captain Courtney Lawes, who is leading the team in the absence of the suspended Owen Farrell.
When asked if the players are angry at recent performances, Lawes replied: “There’s definitely a frustration. We feel it as much as anybody.
“We are in the thick of it and we are doing everything we can to make sure, come this weekend, we are firing on all cylinders.
“It’s going to be a hell of a spectacle, so enjoy it. We are going out all guns blazing and we are going to give it everything we have got.
“It’s the first game of the World Cup and we’re going to be well up for it.”
Offering hope to England supporters is the selection of Mitchell ahead of Danny Care and Ben Youngs, with the 26-year-old half-back a more dynamic presence than his veteran rivals for the jersey.
The tempo and energy brought by Mitchell, both through his delivery and with the ball in hand, was one of the few highlights to emerge from a chastening defeat by Fiji last month.
Remarkably he starts in England’s biggest game since the 2019 World Cup final despite being overlooked for their original 33-man squad, with an injury to Jack van Poortvliet offering his route to France.
“Alex was a dangerous running threat against Fiji; everyone knows he is a dangerous running threat,” Borthwick said.
“Immense credit to Mitch in that he was incredibly disappointed not to make the original 33-man squad. An opportunity opened up.
“One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. He played well and he’s trained exceptionally well. He’s ready to go.”
Curry’s influence on the team is evident through his promotion to the back row despite having missed the entire build-up campaign because of an ankle injury sustained in training.
“We have got players throughout this 23 who have performed on the biggest of stages and Tom Curry is one of them,” Borthwick said.
“He’s in fantastic physical condition; he missed a period of training but his movement is exceptional.”
Top rugby player Api Ratuniyarawa facing jail after admitting sexual offences
Top rugby player Api Ratuniyarawa is facing jail after admitting a series of sexual offences committed days before he was due to play for the Barbarians.
The 37-year-old Fiji international appeared before Cardiff Crown Court and pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by penetration and one charge of sexual assault.
The lock had been due to be on the bench for the Barbarians against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on November 4.
The offences were committed against three women and took place between October 31 and November 2 this year, the court heard.
Ratuniyarawa, of The Orchard, Kislingbury, Northamptonshire, denied two further charges of sexual assault relating to one of the three women.
Prosecutors said the pleas were acceptable to the Crown and invited the court to fix a date for sentencing.
The father-of-four, who has also played for Northampton Saints and in France, has been without a club since Premiership club London Irish went into receivership in the summer, the court heard.
He was hoping his appearance for the Barbarians invitational side would lead to winning a new playing contract but has since been forced to apply for benefits.
Ruth Smith, defending, asked for the defendant to be released on bail and for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
“The defendant has been on conditional bail, and he is aware of the significance of his pleas and the type of sentence that flows from such pleas,” she said.
“He has been on very stringent conditions, and these are matters (that) arose out of primarily the consumption of alcohol.
“He is someone who has very fixed ties to the UK and has played rugby here for a significant number of years.
“His wife and four young children are resident here and have their own right to remain here and two of his children were born in the UK. He is not a flight risk.
“There are significant matters he needs to put in place for his family, not least to change the tenancy of their house over to his wife’s name as well as gather mitigation materials.
“The defendant is the sole breadwinner for the family. He was recently employed by London Irish who in fact unfortunately collapsed in May 2023 and was present in Cardiff to play in a Barbarians game.
“It was hoped a contract might flow from that, that of course because of these events, did not happen.
“Because of that, he has had to apply for benefits for his family. Again, those are not absolutely in place. He has various appointments in place in respect of securing financial stability for his family.”
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, The Recorder of Cardiff, released Ratuniyarawa on conditional bail.
This includes residing at his home address, abiding by an overnight curfew, reporting daily to his local police station, surrendering his passport, not entering any licenced premises and only travelling to Wales for appointments.
“Now you have pleaded guilty to these offences the case will be adjourned until January 9 next year for sentence,” she said.
“I am going to order a pre-sentence report but you should read nothing into that, neither should you read anything into the fact that I am going to release you on conditional bail.”
Ratuniyarawa was also placed on the sexual offenders’ register.
England captaincy honour ‘out of the blue’ to face South Africa – Fran Williams
Fran Williams admitted being asked to be captain of the England team for their upcoming series against South Africa came “a bit out of the blue” as preparations continued for the opening game on Tuesday.
The Loughborough Lightning player will lead the Vitality Roses in their tri-series against the SPAR Proteas, which begins on December 5 in Manchester followed by two games on December 9 and 10 in Nottingham.
Working in a wider leadership group alongside Eleanor Cardwell and Imogen Allison, Williams will lead the team for the first time and revealed that while receiving the captaincy was unexpected, she was looking forward to the opportunity.
“(It was) a bit out of the blue, I was having a catch-up meeting with Jess (Thirlby) our head coach about something completely separate and not relevant to leadership roles and captaincy,” Williams told the PA news agency.
“Then at the end of the meeting she asked if I’d want to be captain, if I’d take on that honour and I said ‘I don’t have to think about it, I’d love to do that opportunity’.
“Then I walked away and thought ‘gosh that’s actually a big deal, maybe I should have thought about this a bit more!’.
“There’s nothing better than being able to represent the team and it’s just such an easy role to take on when you’ve got a group and a squad like we have who are so willing to get stuck in, always seeing the positives, want to jump on board and get involved in as much as possible.”
December’s fixtures will be England’s first games back on home turf since winning silver at the Netball World Cup over the summer, where they fell to a 61-45 defeat against Australia in the final.
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Williams played a pivotal part in the tournament, providing a vital interception in the dying minutes of their semi-final against reigning champions New Zealand and reflected on a “history-making moment” reaching the final.
“I think at the time and in that moment of the final it was obviously devastating,” Williams said.
“To lose against Australia particularly when – bearing in mind it was a tight game – we’d beaten them only a few days before.
“However, when I look back now, I have nothing but pride for the way we performed this summer as a Roses squad. Not just players but all the staff and the journey we’d been on to reaching that historic final and getting our first-ever silver medal at a Netball World Cup, it was still a history-making moment.
“Not just the final result but also the memories I have with that team. Not just in the prep camp before, but the years before leading to us being able to do that is what I’ll take away from the experience the most.
“It’s so exciting to see where we could end up in four years’ time. Now I’ve got that springboard and motivation from being that close in the summer to really want to go for it those next four years.”
There are plenty of new faces in the Roses squad for the South Africa series with five players preparing to make their home international debuts and Williams was looking forward to the “new opportunities ahead”.
She added: “We’ve got a fresh-looking squad, new opportunities lying ahead and whilst it’s so important we carry those stories and lessons learned from the summer and make sure we’re all on the same page and everyone – even if you weren’t there – gets to learn from what worked well in the summer to get to that point and what we could do better to get us over the line in that final in four years’ time.
“There’s also the opportunity to create our own memories and our own history with a new squad.”
On this day in 2019: Bob Willis dies at age of 70
Former England captain and cricket pundit Bob Willis died on December 4, 2019 at the age of 70.
The pace bowler, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer three years previously, played 90 Tests for England and had been a popular figure in broadcasting following his retirement in 1984.
Willis’ family said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly.”
Willis’ most famous moment as a player came in the 1981 Ashes series as his eight for 43 fired England to a remarkable win in the third Test at Headingley.
He is England’s fourth highest Test wicket-taker of all time with 325 wickets.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement that cricket had lost “a dear friend”.
“The ECB is deeply saddened to say farewell to Bob Willis, a legend of English cricket,” the statement read.
“He will always be remembered for his outstanding cricket career. In later years as a broadcaster Bob was a perceptive and respected voice at the microphone. We are forever thankful for everything he has done for the game.
“Everyone at the ECB sends sincere condolences to his family. Cricket has lost a dear friend.”
Willis’ former team-mate Paul Allott told Sky Sports News: “I was there when Bob passed away with Lauren, his wife, and daughter in Wimbledon. It was a peaceful passing but it was obviously a hugely emotional moment.
“We’ve known each other for more than 40 years. Beneath that quite stern exterior that he portrayed on Sky Sports there was a heart of gold.
“He was an extremely kind and gentle individual and we became the very best of friends.”
The Bob Willis Trophy was contested in 2020 and 2021 in his honour and is now presented to England’s player of the year at the Cricket Writers’ Club awards.
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