Steve Borthwick: Leading Under Fire and What The Public Doesn't See (E345)

The High Performance Podcast

High Performance

Sports, Self-improvement, Mindset, Growth Mindset, Health & Fitness, Non-negotiables, Education, Life Lessons, High Performance

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2025

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Steve Borthwick is the head coach of England’s national rugby team and a former international player known for his no-nonsense approach and deep tactical understanding of the game.

In this episode, Steve discusses the philosophy behind his coaching style, focusing on the responsibility coaches have to make the game simple for players. He highlights how the journey to the top, much like climbing a mountain, is a gradual process, with each stage offering new lessons.

He also reflects on the essential qualities needed for success, such as bravery, physical courage, and the willingness to fight for every opportunity. The episode touches on how resilience, physical courage, and trust are all non-negotiables, and how great coaching is about simplifying the chaos and letting players shine.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you love high performance, each week the episodes are available early, exclusively on the
0:05.4	high performance app.
0:06.6	Right now, Crystal Palace boss, Oliver Glasner.
0:11.7	Owens, absolutely outstanding captain.
0:14.2	Everybody can see right down to his very core how much he cares about the team he plays,
0:19.6	the ups and downs you have, and every one of us has.
0:22.7	Look at the way Jamie George handled that.
0:24.6	And that shows so much about him as a person.
0:28.1	Their heart rates are going through the roof and they're swearing and they've blooded.
0:32.8	They have got to still go out and think clearly at the same point.
0:37.3	Now, that's not normal. That's the voice
0:40.8	of Steve Borthwick, the man currently steering the ship of English rugby as their head coach. So Damian,
0:45.4	you flew solo on this one. How was it? I really enjoyed it. I know Steve a little bit. I've been
0:50.9	lucky enough to work with him in the past, so I know he's an incredibly decent, thoughtful and reflective coach. And I think we saw some of the best characteristics of
0:59.4	him here, Jake. He spoke to us around how he's gone about trying to reduce the heaviness of the
1:04.3	weight of the England jersey for his players. He reveals a really fascinating insight into a meeting
1:10.2	that the England players had in Verona
1:12.4	before the 2023 World Cup.
1:15.7	And as a former captain of England as well, he talks around how he came to the decision to remove the captaincy from Jamie George
1:22.0	and instead build a trusted circle of people around him.
1:27.0	This sounds like a fascinating look into the mind of the man
1:29.5	charged with leading England rugby into a new era,
	...

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