Steve Borthwick shrugs off England critics: ‘I don’t care what people think’

Steve Borthwick said “I don’t care what people think of us” after England booked their place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals – Owen Farrell answering his critics with two crucial late kicks to defeat Fiji, having been roundly booed by spectators before the match.

England survived a considerable scare to overcome Fiji and are two wins away from lifting the trophy. While they will go into the last four as outsiders, Borthwick pointedly gave short shrift when asked if his side head to Paris as underdogs.

“I don’t really care what other people think of us, I care about the development of the team,” the England head coach said. “I said this is a team and squad packed full of talented players who perform on the big occasion and they have performed on the big occasion.”

England let a 14-point lead slip against Fiji, who levelled the scores at 24-24 with two quickfire second‑half tries before Farrell steered his side home with a drop-goal and late penalty.

They will face South Africa in the semi-final on Saturday after the defending champions knocked out hosts France 29-28.

England’s victory was marred by ugly scenes with brawling supporters dressed as Lord Admiral Nelson thrown out of the stadium in Marseille. Before the match, Farrell was widely booed when his name was read out to the crowd which was 6,000 below capacity and contained a significant number of neutrals.

“I think he is a fantastic leader, he’s the kind of leader I know I’d want to follow on to the pitch,” Borthwick said of Farrell. “I think he’s a brilliant player who thrives in the contest, and these big occasions, he just gets even better. So we’re very fortunate to have Owen as a player in this team and as our leader. And he should be very proud of his