England Squad "Really Upset" by Claims of Unrest Under Borthwick

England hooker Jamie George has said the squad are "really upset" by a newspaper article claiming their summer tour ended with player unrest over head coach Steve Borthwick's leadership. A hooker is the forward who throws the ball back into play at lineouts, the jumps where both teams contest the ball thrown down the sideline.

George said the article was aiming to be divisive but would instead "galvanise" England and make the squad tighter. He said he did not recognise the situation it described, and that "a lot of it's untrue."

The article, in The Times, reported that unhappy players wanted summit talks with Borthwick and RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney in Argentina in July. It also alleged disagreements within Borthwick's wider coaching group and concerns about his man-management, which is the way a coach handles, motivates and manages his players as people. Reports of the article have included an alleged clash between prop Ellis Genge and Borthwick.

Borthwick responded through BBC Sport. He told Rugby Union Weekly that the depiction "is not something I recognise." He has been England's head coach for the past four years.

Captaincy has been part of the story too. Borthwick made George captain in 2024, and the role passed to Maro Itoje a year later. George was given the armband again for the summer tour in June, while Itoje was unavailable. Itoje has now called a meeting of England's leaders to talk through the article with the squad.

The governing body, the Rugby Football Union, has backed Borthwick to lead England at the World Cup regardless of results, AFP reported this week. That support comes after England finished fifth in the Six Nations, the annual championship between the top European teams.

The next test is on Sunday, when England play Australia in the Nations Championship at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Whatever is said off the pitch, the squad will be judged on how they play when the whistle goes. Their response to the week's headlines will become clearer then.