Maro Itoje hits back at Will Carling over criticism of England coaches

Former skipper Carling had questioned the calibre of Steve Borthwick’s staff earlier this week

Maro Itoje (left) has defended England head coach Steve Borthwick and his staff (Getty Images)

England captain Maro Itoje has pushed back against former skipper Will Carling’s claims that Steve Borthwick’s coaching team lacks the experience needed to take the national side to the next level.

Carling recently questioned whether England had assembled the “best” coaching set-up, suggesting that a lack of top-tier experience might be limiting the teams potential.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, the former centre said: "You look at the calibre of the England coaching team and you have got to question whether that's the best we can put out there.

"Some of them are learning, some of them are very young and maybe lack the experience at Test level. Maybe that's what we're seeing impact on the players."

However, Itoje firmly disagreed with Carling’s statement, praising the work ethic and impact of Borthwick and his staff.

“With all due respect to Will, I don’t necessarily agree or accept that characterisation of our coaching staff,” Itoje told the BBC.

“I have been unbelievably impressed with how they have gone about their business and coached us. The players work really hard, but the coaches, trust me, they work extremely hard.”

England’s style of play in the Six Nations has faced harsh criticism, even as they bounced back from an opening loss to Ireland with narrow home wins over France and Scotland.

Former England captain Will Carling has questioned the calibre of the coaching staff (Getty Images)

Itoje believes much of England’s progress is down to the work of the coaching staff.

“My experience of them has been nothing but positive,” the lock continued. “I think most people can see an improvement in the team, and a large part of that is down to the work the coaches has done and the positions they’re putting us in.

“I think we are tracking in the right direction.”

Borthwick, in his first role leading an international side, brought key figures from his Leicester Tigers backroom, including Richard Wigglesworth (attack coach), and Kevin Sinfield, who initially led the defence before transitioning into a skills-based role.

Defence coach Joe El-Abd is splitting his time between England and French club Oyonnax, while scrum coach Tom Harrison, at 33, is younger than England hooker Jamie George.

Steve Borthwick's top assistant is attack coach Richard Wigglesworth (right) (Getty Images)

Carling’s remarks have added to the ongoing debate about England’s tactical approach, but Itoje remains focused on blocking out external opinions.

“It’s a requirement. We play a public sport, in front of 80,000 at Allianz Stadium and millions at home every time we pull on an England jersey.

“We want people to be engaged with rugby and have an opinion because if they don't, it probably means they don't care.

“As players, what we need to do is focus on what we deem important."