Reactions are mixed to Leicester's latest coaching reshuffle

The long awaited announcement of Steve Borthwick’s arrival of Leicester Tigers - a story first broken by RugbyPass last October - was finally made on Tuesday. 

The former England captain is set to finish his time working under Eddie Jones, currently as a skills coach, before heading to Welford Road. 

The Rugby Football Union announced earlier this week that he will move on at the end of the season, which means he will be ready for next campaign with Leicester. 

Whether working for Jones with Japan or England, Borthwick has had a lot of success, largely as a forwards coach, helping build one of the most formidable packs in the world with England. 

Forward supremacy has historically been the Tigers’ bread and butter, but they have perhaps lost their way in recent years. Borthwick, though, is being tipped by Tigers supporters to bring back that edge. 

The last couple of years have been rough for one of English rugby’s powerhouses, as Leicester narrowly avoided relegation last season after finishing eleventh in the Gallagher Premiership. 

They would also theoretically be bottom of the table at the moment if it were not for Saracens’ automatic relegation. 

The fact that relegation is no longer a possibility this season gives them the freedom to wait for Borthwick and it is believed that his pedigree will finally mark the beginning of a turnaround.

Meanwhile, the decision to move current head coach Geordan Murphy to the role of director of rugby has not gone down too well. 

While the former Ireland international is a club legend, his coaching stint since taking over from Matt O’Connor in 2018 has not been particularly successful. 

While some see this as a promotion for Murphy - and one that may not necessarily be warranted - his role will be different from Borthwick’s and he will remain a figure within the club who is aware of its identity going forward. 

Nonetheless, it is the former lock that is given the responsibility of resurrecting the Tigers to their former glory, and he looks suited to do just that. 

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