Jamie George says reports of squad unrest will galvanise England

England hooker Jamie George has stated that the national rugby squad is "really upset" following a newspaper report alleging player dissatisfaction with head coach Steve Borthwick. The article claims that members of the squad sought a meeting with Borthwick and Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney during their tour of Argentina in July.

According to the report, there are tensions within the coaching staff and concerns regarding the man-management abilities of Borthwick, who has overseen several changes to his team during his four-year tenure. Jamie George, the Saracens hooker who served as England captain in 2024 before Maro Itoje took over the role a year later, questioned the motives behind the publication.

Speaking to Rugby Union Weekly, George dismissed the claims as largely false and criticised the timing of the report, which appeared just two days before Sunday's Nations Championship match against Australia at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. "I can tell you that a lot of it's untrue," George said, adding, "We, as a squad, are incredibly disappointed by it."

The hooker noted that this was the first time in his career that the team felt compelled to address a media report. He explained that Maro Itoje organised a meeting among the leadership group to discuss the matter.

"Whoever's written this article, obviously their aim was for it to be divisive. Unfortunately for them, it's going to go the other way," George stated. He concluded that the situation would ultimately strengthen the team, saying, "This is going to galvanise us, it's going to make us tighter. We speak a lot about standing up for people, we speak a lot about helping each other, and we've got to make sure that we do that for Steve. He has had a bit of a personal attack here and an unwarranted one at that."