England boss Borthwick needs time just like Amorim at Man Utd, says right-hand man / Photo: Adrian Dennis - AFP
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England boss Borthwick needs time just like Amorim at Man Utd, says right-hand man
England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth has pleaded for fans to be patient with boss Steve Borthwick by saying his Red Rose regime needs time to oversee a revival just as much as Manchester United football manager Ruben Amorim does at Old Trafford.
The spotlight is on head coach Borthwick after his England rugby side launched their Six Nations campaign with a 27-22 loss to champions Ireland last weekend ahead of Saturday's clash with in-form France at Twickenham.
Defeat in Dublin meant England have lost seven of their last nine Tests, with the record an even starker seven reverses in a row against leading nations when two wins over Japan are removed from that sequence.
England have not finished higher than third since they last won the Six Nations in 2020 and defeat by France, fresh from humiliating Wales 43-0, would all but scupper their title ambitions this season.
Borthwick, a former England captain, was appointed to his current post just under a year out from a 2023 World Cup in France where his side reached the semi-finals before losing to champions South Africa.
Amorim, meanwhile, has found life tough since taking over in November, with United now a lowly 13th place in the Premier League table.
But United fan Wigglesworth said: "I'm fascinated by this coach and, with my limited knowledge of football, just from watching him as a coach and how he speaks, he's the real deal."
The former England scrum-half added: "As a fan, I'm thinking someone has to be given time to grab this and sort it out. Otherwise, the whole thing starts again -- staffing, players all change. That is proven to not be the way to do it. You need the right man.
"To me, he (Amorim) looks incredibly impressive. So, given time, resources -- and a bit of luck that everyone always needs -- it would be nice to see him turn it around."
As for the England rugby team, he added: "We're seeing green shoots of this England team -- we play fast, we're aggressive and we scored tries against Ireland."
Borthwick names his team to play France on Thursday, with Fin Smith tipped to come in at fly-half while Marcus Smith moves to full-back.
Tom Willis, meanwhile, could add heft to the back row as England prepare to face a formidable French pack.
S.Dennehy--NG
