Bulls 'teach' Sarries captain to coach

Saracens captain and England lock Steve Borthwick, will spend a week with the Bulls to learn more ahead of a possible future coaching career.

Borthwick believes he can learn a lot from the Bulls, and will take in all training sessions – from junior to senior level – to help him gain knowledge.

"I was given the week off by Saracens opportunity came up to come here, and the Blue Bulls have very kindly allowed me to come and observe. To learn and see how I can improve," he told SuperSport.

"I've been given the opportunity to observe every team that is training. Everybody has been very welcome here and very open so I'm hopefully I'm going to learn."

There is no doubt the link through the SAIL/MARC group with Saracens is a beneficial one, which can only benefit both parties in the future.

While Saracens host a number of top South African players, the links with the Bulls and Stormers will hopefully convert into tour matches and player swaps in future. Already last year Tuks and Cup captain Jono Ross used the opportunity to play for six months for Saracens to gain experience before returning earlier this week to rejoin the Bulls.

"The players have come over very well. Brad Barritt, who has gone on to play for England and the likes of Schalk Brits, Ernst Joubert and several others who have been excellent. So the links are strong, and clearly not on the playing front, but also on coaching with Brendan Venter there as well," Borthwick told SuperSport.

"While I am still a player right now, it is very important for me to continue my education as a coach, so that I can be in a strong position when I retire. I've been assisting with the Saracens academy and taking on whatever opportunities I can to learn. It's a great opportunity for me to take the time to watch top quality coaches at the Bulls and to learn from them," he added.