Saracens apologise for Steve Borthwick's absence
Saracens has been forced to apologise to the European Rugby Cup for Steve Borthwick's failure to attend the Heineken Cup launch.
Borthwick was told to attend a team bonding session by his club side, which meant he was the only captain from 12 British sides that did not attend the European Cup launch.
"The decision that Steve Borthwick should attend a pre-arranged squad function was entirely the club's decision, and nothing to do with Steve. Nobody can doubt the professionalism and commitment of perhaps
the most professional and committed player in the country. The clash of dates was unfortunate," said Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths.
Saracens will now have to wait and see if the club and the player will be punished over the incident. Borthwick could possibly be banned from playing in a Heineken Cup match while the club faces a fine
of up to 5,000 euros.
If Borthwick is banned for any game in Europe then it will have a big negative impact on Saracens. The club could appeal any decision made by the ERC but this risks making things worse.
Possible absence
Borthwick is captain of Saracens and former captain of England. He knows all about leading a rugby side into fierce European competition. There is no one else in the Saracens team that can lead the side
as effectively. His vocal skills are key to keeping the side organised.
Borthwick is very effective as a defensive player at lock. His strength and power allows him to challenge for the ball against the biggest and fastest of opponents. The size of the Saracens pack will be
drastically reduced if Borthwick cannot play and the scrum will become less effective.
European rugby can be much faster than Premiership rugby. Borthwick will be key to any plans that Saracens has to slow this pace down. His experience will be keep players calm if the side is put under
pressure early in a game.
Big risks
Saracens will quite rightly be annoyed about any disciplinary action from the ERC. The club will have the chance to appeal but there are big risks associated with this.
If the club appeals against a fine and that appeal isn't successful, the fine can increase to a much higher level. If the club appeals against any action towards Borthwick then officials risk losing their
captain for a much higher number of games.
The club though got defensive about their decision and pointed out the press conference wasn't a terribly important event, even by media standards.
"We rationally decided it was more important for our captain to take part in a long-arranged and highly significant squad event than to attend a press conference where he was not nominated to be formally
interviewed and from which his non-attendance became the main story. Our total commitment to this year's Heineken Cup competition is writ large across every billboard in London," added Griffiths.
Betting advice
There is no doubt that Saracens will have a worse chance of winning any game without their captain in the team. Borthwick may not be the most flamboyant player in the Saracens side but he is arguably the
most important.
Saracens has an outside chance of winning the Heineken Cup this season. The odds will be very long at the moment so it's important to act now. If the club starts to win matches in Europe then these odds
will shorten and the value of backing the side early will be lost.
Borthwick is a good player to back in the team. His position as lock will not allow him to get forward frequently. However, he will be determined to show his passion and may get over the try line on a
few occasions.
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