Having taken over the captaincy against Italy in last year's RBS 6 Nations due to Phil Vickery's injury, Borthwick was handed the job for the summer tour of New Zealand before being confirmed as full-time skipper by Martin Johnson. Borthwick is a great student of the lineout and is one of the best at the set-piece. He received criticism after England's poor autumn, some of which was harsh, but he could do with being more prominent around the field.