British tennis player Emma Raducanu and Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler have both been guests at England’s men’s rugby union training camp this week.
Head coach Steve Borthwick, speaking before facing New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday, said that the duo’s attendance was so they could speak to his players and help share experiences with them.
Raducanu was the youngest female player to win a Grand Slam title in 17 years when winning the 2021 US Open, while German Hurzeler is the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history.
“We’ve had Fabian Hurzeler, the Brighton manager. He’s been brilliant sharing his experiences and spoke to the team this morning which was terrific,” said Borthwick.
“Emma Raducanu visited today and to have elite sports people like Emma Raducanu visit and share with the players her experiences, her preparations for sport and international competitions at the very, very top level is always a learning experience.
“We’re very grateful she came to visit and with her provisions, it’s been a good week so far.”
Borthwick felt that in Raducanu’s case, she was able to share her individual experiences unique to tennis that he felt could aide his squad who are more used to team sports.
“I think the players were journalists in the rounds just talking in the contrast around individual preparation and a need to feel that everything is right and for a tennis player who is on there own out there on the court, individual preparation is everything,” Borthwick added.
“For a team sport member, it is always getting that balance but we still need to maximise that individual preparation.”
As well as the duo, former England players Chris Ashton, Marko Vunipola and Danny Care also visited the England squad this week.
“Fortunately, we have the opportunity to sometimes have people in like we have this week and you take them as learning experiences.
“I think part of developing this team is adding levels of experience and adding reference points, conversations we’ve had and lessons that we’ve logged that we can refer back to in the future.
“All of these experiences come back to our camp and share with us is important for our development. “
This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.
