{"id":291650,"date":"2023-09-07T21:34:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T21:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=291650"},"modified":"2023-09-07T21:34:43","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T21:34:43","slug":"borthwick-is-ignoring-the-outside-noise-ahead-of-world-cup-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/borthwick-is-ignoring-the-outside-noise-ahead-of-world-cup-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Borthwick is ignoring the &apos;outside noise&apos; ahead of World Cup opener"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Steve Borthwick insists he&#8217;s ignoring the &#8216;outside noise&#8217; ahead of England&#8217;s Rugby World Cup opener&#8230; as national team boss defends Alex Mitchell and Jonny May picks for Argentina clash<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The England boss calmly explained the selections for his side&#8217;s opening game\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Borthwick&#8217;s men will take on Argentina in the first match of the World Cup\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Both Mitchell and May have become surprise inclusions in the starting XV\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Soon after England had flown here from their distant base in northern France, ahead of a seismic World Cup opener, Steve Borthwick calmly explained the selections which were igniting a storm of debate back at home.<\/p>\n<p>The national coach was in a defiant mood; about his team\u2019s chances against Argentina and also about the players he had chosen for that daunting assignment. Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Jonny May on the wing, had both come from outside the original tournament squad of 33 to earn a place in the XV. Dan Cole as another starter, at the age of 36. These were the calls being discussed, dissected and widely questioned.<\/p>\n<p>But after a training phase full of intensity and renewed purpose up in leafy Le Touquet, by the English Channel, Borthwick arrived here with the focused look of a man with personal conviction \u2013 unfazed by the continuing \u2018outside noise\u2019. So he talked it all through, without fuss or fanfare.<\/p>\n<p>The inclusion of Mitchell meant he had risen from fourth-choice scrum-half, originally, when the World Cup squad was named at the start of August, to become the man entrusted with the No 9 shirt against the mighty Pumas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Borthwick revealed that the Northampton livewire\u2019s eye-catching efforts in a losing cause against\u00a0Fiji at Twickenham on August 26 had won him selection ahead of Ben Youngs and Danny Care, with the latter acting as bench under-study.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/22\/75186137-12493659-England_boss_Steve_Borthwick_has_explained_his_selection_for_his-a-1_1694120589835.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England boss Steve Borthwick has explained his selection for his side&#8217;s World Cup opener<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/22\/75186187-12493659-Alex_Mitchell-a-2_1694120589835.jpg\" height=\"570\" width=\"306\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/22\/75186191-12493659-Jonny_May-a-3_1694120589836.jpg\" height=\"570\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>Both Alex Mitchell (L) and Jonny May (R) will feature in the starting XV against Argentina<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It is not what other people don\u2019t bring,\u2019 said the head coach. \u2018Everyone brings strength to the team, but at scrum-half we have got a lot of depth. For this game, to start this game, what Mitch brings is what is right for this team and the combinations we have.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He was a dangerous running threat (versus Fiji). Everyone knows he is a dangerous running threat. Danny Care and Ben Youngs bring all kinds of strength and for me, each week is about ensuring I pick the best two scrum-halves to get the job done that week.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Immense credit goes to Mitch in that he was incredibly disappointed not to make the original squad. Every player I spoke to at that point, I asked to go away and ensure they were ready to be the next man in. An opportunity opened up. One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. I thought he played well and he\u2019s trained exceptionally well. He was ready to go.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>May, the veteran Gloucester wing, is someone at the other end of the international experience spectrum, but in the same selection category as Mitchell \u2013 having come from outside the 33 to burst into the first-choice side. He too managed it by auditioning well amid the rubble of England\u2019s collapse against their last opponents, from the south Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Jonny&#8217;s preparation on a daily basis is an example to everyone,\u2019 said Borthwick \u2013 who confirmed that rookie wing sensation Henry Arundell was fully fit and available for selection here. \u2018He has been fantastic. Every training day, he has competed hard. I couldn\u2019t ask more of him in terms of what he&#8217;s done, he&#8217;s been exemplary in that regard, which is credit to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Jonny has done every training session with us, then stepped into that Fijian game. I talked about the performance of Mitch and the performance of Jonny was also very good. He\u2019s earned his selection.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>At tighthead prop, the era of Kyle Sinckler\u2019s pre-eminence appears to be at an end, despite claims by the England management that he has been on a managed training load due to a niggling injury issue. Cole has been picked to start, as a bulwark against the giant Argentine pack, almost four years after his grim ordeal in the last World Cup Final, at the hands of the Springboks.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/22\/75186357-12493659-Borthwick_confirmed_that_highly_rated_Henry_Arundell_above_will_-a-4_1694120589837.jpg\" height=\"378\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Borthwick confirmed that highly-rated Henry Arundell (above) will be available to play<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/21\/75186213-12493659-image-a-57_1694118608794.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The England boss insisted that he&#8217;s not focusing on the &#8216;outside noise&#8217; ahead of the match<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think it says a huge amount about his character and a huge amount about him as a person,\u2019 said Borthwick \u2013 who gave Cole renewed drive when he came to Leicester and turned the club around.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s been superb. He is one of those wise heads. Time seems to stand still when he speaks. He has wisdom that he can share, from all of the Test matches he has played.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Despite his chronic lack of recent game-time, the recall of Tom Curry to the starting side was a far less contentious decision. England have sorely missed Sale\u2019s flanker-dynamo, who has been identified as the missing piece in the malfunctioning Red Rose defence.<\/p>\n<p>Borthwick spoke of the 25-year-old\u2019s \u2018fantastic physical condition\u2019 after his recovery from an ankle injury which forced him to miss all the warm-up fixtures. It happened when he fell awkwardly from a lineout in training. Curry had missed the Six Nations too, due to injury, so he is desperate to make his first appearance of the year, belatedly.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/22\/75186291-12493659-Dan_Cole_will_be_hoping_to_make_a_big_impact_when_he_starts_agai-a-5_1694120589837.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Dan Cole will be hoping to make a big impact when he starts against Argentina on Saturday<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It feels like I\u2019ve been preparing for this for a while, in terms of\u2026 I did my hamstring, came back, did my hamstring, came back, did my hamstring,\u2019 he said, after discussing the recovery from his latest setback. \u2018So I think I\u2019ve been well rehearsed in coming back from injury and I\u2019ve put myself in a good spot for this game. I\u2019ve trained well and I feel full of confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The emotion is huge. The first game in a World Cup, the emotion is going to be high \u2013 we\u2019re an extremely passionate England team. Going into this game, the way we\u2019ve trained this last week, you can feel it building and that\u2019s pretty special.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;You just want to get out there and get going. First World Cup game, Marseille, a great place, going against a great team, there\u2019s nowhere else you\u2019d rather be. I can\u2019t wait to take that step and I can\u2019t wait to do it with everyone else.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Asked if he believes that England, with backs against the wall, can deliver a special performance and result, Curry\u2019s answer was emphatic. \u2018Yeah. Yeah. It\u2019s hard because you can\u2019t write it down, but it\u2019s a feeling. I think Saturday is going to be fun.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12493659\/Steve-Borthwick-insists-hes-ignoring-outside-noise-ahead-Englands-World-Cup-opener-national-team-boss-defends-Alex-Mitchell-Jonny-picks-Argentina-clash.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Steve Borthwick insists he&#8217;s ignoring the &#8216;outside noise&#8217; ahead of England&#8217;s Rugby World Cup opener&#8230; as national team boss defends <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Borthwick is ignoring the &amp;apos;outside noise&amp;apos; 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