Borthwick wants a swift recovery
Saracens captain Steve Borthwick says he hopes to recover from injury quickly so he can take part in the club's season.
Borthwick has damaged his quadricep during the pre-season schedule, which makes his chances of playing in the first match of the season against London Irish virtually nil.
Borthwick said: "I'm doing good. I tore my quad when I was away with England but injuries happen. I have rehabilitated it and I am just getting back to running and hopefully I'll be back on the field soon. I hope it will be one of the early rounds of the season but we will see."
The former England man would have been hoping to hit the ground running this season, as he has been told by England coach Martin Johnson that he will have to work his way back into the England side.
Borthwick's absence from the side will hit Saracens hard because the club do not have a player who can come in and have the same leadership impact. However, his injury represents a chance for someone, a chance they may not have been expecting.
Borthwick's skills
Borthwick plays in the centre of the pitch and this makes him ideal as captain. It allows him to bark orders around and organise the team defensively according to the play he sees in front of him.
This news will be a blow on a personal level more than anything else. Borthwick has made no secret of his disappointment that he is not featuring in England's immediate plans. The injury sets him back because he cannot start working towards winning back his place until he is fully fit.
Borthwick is a very powerful player in the Saracens team and someone who has the ability to be effective at both ends of the pitch. If the club picks up another injury then it will mean that playing resources could quickly become stretched.
A golden opportunity
There is now a golden opportunity for another player to walk into the team in Borthwick's place. This could be a chance that the likes of Tom Ryder or Hayden Smith may not have been expecting and there will be healthy competition for a place among the locks.
This means they will raise their performance level to try and have a noticeable impact on the game. If they manage to do this then it will increase their chances of staying in the team while Borthwick cannot play. This is the beneficial side of the otherwise negative news that has hit the club.
He added: "I will be running again before Saturday and each day you get quicker and stronger so hopefully it will be very soon. These days everything gets monitored and measured. So you are running with a little GPS unit and speeds are measured so I will be back when I am ready to be back."
Betting advice
Borthwick not playing will be a huge blow to the team because of all the experience and quality that he possesses every time he runs out onto a rugby pitch.
However, it is a fact and something that Saracens must now cope with. Back the player that takes his place to play well and even score a try. Although lock is a predominantly defensive position, there will be no better way for a player to stay in a team than to score points.
Saracens have a very good chance of winning their opening game with London Irish so don't think twice about backing them if you have a gut instinct they will do well this season.
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