[2025 Six Nations] England vs Scotland - 22/02/25

[Vieux Talonneur]

Leadership such as that can only thrive in an environment that allows it. If you have a draconian head coach who will punish deviating from their plan, even when it's clearly failing, then players won't deviate.

We don't know what Borthwicks is like but there must be a reason he lasted so long under Jones, I suspect that is down to a similar coaching mentality. He may not be the straight up bully on a power trip like Jones but he could still have an incredibly stubborn and inflexible approach to being challenged and to players don't their own thing.

It's a shame Brian Ashton took over England when he did. He was a big proponent of players thinking for themselves but had an absolutely garbage batch of England players to work with.

No-one said it's easy.

But there's a lot of experience in our team and the senior players have to bring that to bear. And that will sometimes mean using their grey matter and taking responsibility even if that leads to some friction.

You can argue that you need blind obedience in the army, but on the sports field coaches should empower not command.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

No-one said it's easy.

But there's a lot of experience in our team and the senior players have to bring that to bear. And that will sometimes mean using their grey matter and taking responsibility even if that leads to some friction.

You can argue that you need blind obedience in the army, but on the sports field coaches should empower not command.

Funny enough even the army doesn't teach blind obedience. It's recognised as a weakness and a waste of training to have soldiers simply blindly do whatever they are told regardless of circumstances.

 

[BrokenWing]

Don't want them thinking about it too much though, or else they'd realise if they joined the air force they'd be sleeping in a hotel bed rather than a ditch.