Steve Borthwick aims to take Leicester ‘back to the top’ as new head coach | Sport

Steve Borthwick said he is aiming to get Leicester “back to the top” of English rugby after the club confirmed he will start as the head coach on 1 July.

Leicester announced in January that Borthwick, who had been the England forwards coach since 2015, would take up the position, with Geordan Murphy moving up to the director of rugby role at Welford Road.

Borthwick’s start date has now been confirmed, with the former England captain targeting a return to greatness for the 10-times champions. Leicester finished 11th in the Premiership last season and are in the same position as it stands this campaign, with only automatically relegated Saracens below them.

“I am delighted to be joining Leicester Tigers as head coach,” the 40-year-old told the club’s website. “To get Leicester back to the top is a great challenge and one I am very excited about.

“We realise we have a lot of work to do and I know everybody at the club is determined to work tirelessly to succeed in this challenge. We also know every single one of our fantastic supporters will be doing all they can to help drive this team forward.

“What has been evident to me is that the pain caused by Tigers being where the club is on the table has been felt by everyone – the players, coaches, staff and supporters. This is something we need to change and we will do so by pulling everyone who is a part of this club even tighter to the team and taking on opponents together.”

Leicester, who have lifted the Heineken Cup twice in their history, had won only four of their 13 top-flight games before the season was suspended. The club had also qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup.

Murphy, who will switch roles having been the permanent head coach since December 2018, said: “Steve has coached at the highest level of the game for almost a decade and brings with him a wealth of experience.

“We are excited about this next step on the club’s journey, with Steve playing a major role in that, and we are committed to the hard work we know is necessary to see Tigers achieving the results we expect of ourselves.”

“There is no quick fix and each and every member of our club, from players to coaches and staff to supporters, will need to play their part in seeing us right the wrongs of recent seasons.”