Ludlam excited by Borthwick's intelligence, passion
NEWS: Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam said new England coach Steve Borthwick’s combination of intelligence and passion had already made an impression on the squad.
Ludlam, looking to re-establish himself in England’s back row, says Borthwick’s attention to detail will compensate for a lack of preparation time ahead of next week’s Six Nations opener at home to Scotland.
Borthwick was only appointed to the role in December after Eddie Jones was sacked following England’s worst year of results since 2008.
Borthwick’s initial squad as England head coach only met for the first time on Monday, less than a fortnight before their Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.
“The exciting thing with Steve is that everything is thought through in terms of how we are going to play, where we are going to score our points,” Ludlam told reporters at England’s training base in Bagshot on Thursday.
“He wants the team to be ready to fight for each other, to work hard and that’s been evident from day one, which is really positive.
“For me, that has always been at the forefront of my mind when it comes to playing rugby.
“To hear that it’s at the forefront of their (the England management’s) minds as well makes me really excited.
“The main thing is we’re going to have to hit the ground running and pick up things quickly because we have two weeks until Scotland.”
England are set to go into the Scotland game without Ludlam’s fellow Northampton back-row Courtney Lawes, whose involvement in the entire Six Nations has been threatened by a calf injury sustained on club duty.
His absence could boost Ludlam’s chances of Test selection, not that his team-mate saw it that way.
“He is a massive loss for the whole squad,” said Ludlam of Lawes. “Even off the field, what he offers in terms of the advice he gives young lads in how to prepare emotionally for training to high pressure environments.”
Scotland have won the two most recent Calcutta Cup clashes, with Ludlam suffering a rib injury while playing well during England’s 20-17 defeat at Murrayfield last year.
Of the threat posed by Scotland, Ludlam said: “They are a team that goes really hard at the breakdown.
“No fixtures are a given and I think Scotland have been fantastic over the last four years”
