Continuity is welcome and these two appointments were pretty well signposted, as was that of Jenkins, who again will look after the kickers.
With Steve Borthwick, it is slightly different. Steve is a brilliant lineout technician whose recent coaching record with Japan and England under Eddie Jones speaks for itself.
If anybody can crack the New Zealand calls and find ways of disrupting their possession in a phase where they are massively strong - with Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read - it is Borthwick.
From an England point of view it is a good selection.
In the short term it means that one of the key men in the England camp spends all of next summer getting to grips with New Zealand rugby looking for ways to beat the All Blacks. That must be a benefit for England.
In the long term there will come a time when the RFU are looking for a successor to Eddie Jones, so it is important that there are some English candidates with wide-ranging international experience.
It is reported that Ben Ryan, who guided Fiji to Olympic gold, is being enlisted by Gatland. Again time is the issue. There just isn't the time to teach an old dog new tricks on a quickfire Lions tour so I wouldn't take extra coaches with just that in mind.
What you can do is identify inspirational, sparky, motivated coaches and individuals who can add to the buzz and intensity of the tour party.
There are always players with short-term injuries who need to be kept active and involved and it could well be that Ryan could do that, bringing in fresh training and handling routines and honing the skills that already exist.
