England manager Steve Borthwick has urged his team to attract a new dynasty of fans by making history this summer after discussing the ‘privilege’ of leading his country under Gareth Southgate.
Both Borthwick and his English football counterpart Southgate are preparing to spend some important weeks in different hemispheres.
Southgate’s side begin their EURO 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday, while the England rugby team is in Japan ahead of their first summer match in Tokyo on Saturday.
“I spoke to Gareth a couple of times and exchanged several WhatsApps,” Borthwick said.
‘He has incredible experience in preparing a team at the top of international sport. I know (rugby captain) Jamie (George) and the players will send a message and we wish them all the best and hopefully a very successful European Championship.
England manager Steve Borthwick credited the experience of Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate as the pair set out to lead their teams to success this summer.
England are preparing for big tests against Japan and New Zealand over the next month.
Southgate’s side begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday night in Gelsenkirchen.
“It’s a conversation I’ve had with several top coaches about what a privilege it is to be able to work with a team like this in big teams and big tournaments.
‘That’s special and privileged is the best word I can use to describe it. I want this experience with the England team to be the time of a lifetime for the players.
“I want them to have a great time as well as winning test matches.”
England’s rugby stars have been given the green light to watch the country’s football matches this summer, although the time difference between hemispheres may make this difficult.
‘We will ensure that players have access to it and at the same time prioritize our preparation. “We have several very enthusiastic football players on the team,” said Borthwick.
England will face Japan, now coached by their former boss Eddie Jones, on Saturday before traveling to New Zealand for two big tests with the All Blacks.
The Japan match will be England’s first senior international not to be broadcast on mainstream television in more than two decades.
With no firm interest in the match from traditional broadcasters, it will be shown on RugbyPass TV, owned by World Rugby, the game’s governing body.
Asked if that was a concern about English rugby’s marketing influence, Borthwick said he had urged his players to embrace the social media era to grow their profile and that of the team. “I’ve spoken to a group of players and clearly we want to make sure we help rugby grow in this country,” Borthwick said.
England begin their summer tour against a Japanese team, now managed by former coach Eddie Jones, on Saturday.
‘One of the challenges we have is in the younger age groups and their focus on rugby. I encourage players to find different ways to connect with those younger age groups.
“We have great role models on this team, so the more exposure we can get, the better.” The first thing we can do is build a successful English team.
‘That’s what we strive for. At the same time, having positive role models is very important for me and this England team.
“In Jamie, we have a captain who is a really positive role model and in this series we aim to take another step in building a successful team.”
With the likes of Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso among others, England have a new generation of players on the rise.
It is understood that England stars have access to a multimedia library of photographs and videos provided by the RFU from which they can take content for use on social media.
It’s also been notable that since landing in Japan, England’s players have posted more behind-the-scenes content from the Far East, including trips to see sumo wrestling and cafes with unusual animals.
England have a new generation of players such as Marcus Smith (pictured), Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Borthwick has urged his players to embrace the “age of social media”, and their clash against Japan will be the first senior England international not to be broadcast on mainstream television in more than two decades.
“The RFU has been very supportive of us in other aspects that we are looking at to increase the attention on the team and also increase the influence of the players,” Borthwick said.
“This is a very diverse England team and it is a young England team that has the ability to connect with people who follow the media in different ways.”
