Borthwick guarantees fitness for Heineken Cup opener
Saracens captain Steve Borthwick has guaranteed that he will be fit for the club's first Heineken Cup match of the season against Clermont.
Borthwick is being forced to sit out the opening matches of the Premiership season due to a thigh injury that he picked up on England duty this summer. However, he says that his recovery is on course and he plans to lead the side into European competition.
Saracens has started the Premiership season badly as they lost 33-16 at the hands of London Irish. It could be a temptation for the club to rush their leader back but Borthwick says he will take his time to make sure he is ready.
Borthwick will add a number of things to the side when he makes his return from the thigh injury. Mentally he is going to be tested because the injury will lengthen his chances of getting back in the England set-up, which he has admitted is his main aim this year.
A big player
Borthwick is a big player in terms of his presence and his importance to the team. He is very strong and can command any central area of the pitch. This allows the team to play around him as he can mark an important player out of the game.
His leadership skills were missing during the game against London Irish. There were times when Saracens got very annoyed and frustrated. Players made mistakes because of this and the side conceded 15 points after one player was sent to the sin bin.
Borthwick already admitted that he had more energy and determination than ever before during pre-season. Now he has suffered an injury, this same determination is likely to have doubled because he has less time to do all of the things he said he would do.
The captain said: "I tore my quad when I was away with England and I am rehabilitating it and getting back to running. I started running on Monday and it is going really well. I will be running again on Friday and Saturday."
A mental test
This is going to be a real mental test for Borthwick because his processes of thinking are going to be challenged. Saracens needs to bounce back quickly in the Premiership if they want to continue fighting at the top end of the table all year.
This means Borthwick has to drop his thinking about England and switch it to a club focus. This is going to be difficult because Borthwick made no secret of the fact that he felt extremely disappointed when it was revealed that he had been dropped from Martin Johnson's England plans.
He added: "Each day I am getting quicker and stronger and hopefully I will be back by the early rounds of the Premiership. These days everything is monitored and measured by a GPS unit. I will definitely be back by the start of the Heineken Cup."
Betting advice
It's naive to say that Saracens' entire season will be based on how quickly their captain can get back to fitness and take his place in the side. However, there is little doubt that he will add authority, quality and a necessary presence to the side.
Borthwick has one eye on England and this could mean his entire focus is not on his club side. This is dangerous because it can prompt bad errors from players that go on to cost a side a match. Borthwick has enough experience to make sure this doesn't happen.
Back Saracens and England when Borthwick is in the team because he makes them much more solid.
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