- Owen Farrell made decision to 'protect his and his family's mental wellbeing'
- Two umpires have also quit the Test game due to vitriol on social media
- Steve Borthwick says everyone involved in professional gaming needs support
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England head coach Steve Borthwick has condemned the 'appalling' culture of 'online hate' that forced Owen Farrell to step down indefinitely from international rugby.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his Test captain and playmaker made a decision to 'protect the mental well-being of him and his family', Borthwick expressed his outrage at the abuse Farrell endured. The man in charge of the national team revealed his wish for everyone involved in the professional game to be better supported, after two umpires – Wayne Barnes and Tom Foley – also quit the Test game in the face of vitriol on social media .
“In England alone we have seen a player, a captain and two match officials walk away due to certain issues at the top of their game,” Borthwick said. 'There are social problems. The online hate that is being spread is not okay, it is not right.
“For people to have to put up with that, for their families to have to put up with that, for people to be driven out of the game is just horrible. I don't have the answers, but I know it's wrong, and they're not real rugby fans who say things like this.
'This is fast-paced and changing, and I don't think any of us expected what would happen in that regard at the World Cup, or that there would be that level of vitriol against certain people and certain teams. Unfortunately it accelerates very quickly.
Owen Farrell stepped away from England's duty to prioritize his family's mental wellbeing
Farrell suffered a backlash after being sent off for a high tackle on Wales' Taine Basham
England head coach Steve Borthwick has criticized trolls for pushing Owen Farrell away
'Obviously the England rugby team is paying a lot of attention to it, possibly at a different level. It's not just the players, it's the England managers, the referees and their families too. We want to make sure we're giving them the support they need, and that's going to be different for everyone.”
Borthwick are preparing to name a new England squad on January 17 and one area of concern is the loosehead prop, with many leading contenders currently injured. The head coach confirmed Mail Sport's story that Ellis Genge is in doubt before the start of the championship.
“Ellis is coming back from a hamstring injury,” he said. 'He will have more tests in about a week, then we will have a clearer picture. Hopefully he'll be (back) very early in the Six Nations – everything's going well.” Borthwick also said about Joe Marler's arm injury: 'How much time he will miss is unclear. We are hopeful that he will be available.”
Genge and Marler are among a core group of English players who have set up a new management company to oversee negotiations with the RFU over new EPS contracts and commercial deals. As of Wednesday, the two props have been appointed directors of Team England Rugby Ltd, along with Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Anthony Watson.
The company was formed on December 14, after England players voted to terminate the long-standing Rugby Players' Association agreement that represented them, in order to secure greater control over their commercial activities.
Meanwhile, Borthwick revealed he has spoken to Exeter's uncapped Welsh wing sensation Immanual Feyi-Waboso – who also qualifies for England – along with New Zealand Chiefs flanker Ethan Roots. “I talked to both players,” he said.