Steve Borthwick is expected to be confirmed as England manager this week following the sacking of Eddie Jones on Tuesday. Borthwick’s club Leicester Tigers are understood to be negotiating a compensation package with the Rugby Football Union, but the former England captain will be officially named as Jones’ replacement before the weekend.
Borthwick, 43, left the RFU in the summer of 2020 to join Leicester but will now return to Twickenham to fill the void left by Jones’ sacking. The 62-year-old Australian has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect, with forwards coach Richard Cockerill in the interim role pending Borthwick’s arrival.
The precise make-up of Borthwick’s squad for the Six Nations is still to be agreed, with Leicester’s Kevin Sinfield, Richard Wigglesworth and fitness guru Aled Walters all likely candidates. The Tigers, however, could do without losing their entire coaching staff mid-season and some of Jones’ assistants may remain involved in the short term.
It sums up the myriad of uncertainties now facing the RFU just nine months before the start of the Rugby World Cup in France next year. Jones’ seven-year tenure ended with a disappointing run of results this year, but still, sacking him so close to a World Cup is a big call with nine games left for Borthwick to turn around a drifting ship England will begin their 2023 Six Nations campaign with a Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.
The RFU clearly felt, however, that it could not continue to back a head coach who had endured the worst year-to-year results since 2008. Nor has any major country in the world had such a significant turnover of bounce-back personnel, with L Jones’ demanding style and relentless work ethic have proved too much for many.
The 27-13 loss to South Africa, and the Twickenham boos that greeted it, was the final straw for the RFU. Under Jones, however, England won 59 and drew two of their 81 games and Jones boasted a 73% win rate, higher than any other manager, including World Cup winner Sir Clive Woodward.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said in a statement that he was grateful to Jones “for everything he has done for England in many areas of the game” and said he had made a “huge contribution” to the English game, after having presided over three more Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam success in 2016 and guided his team to the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for breaking sports news alerts?
show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android by searching for “The Guardian”.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you have the latest version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sports notifications.
Thanks for your comments.
Under the Australian, England also equaled New Zealand’s record 18-match Test winning streak in 2017, but have been less consistently successful since then. This year England lost six, drew one and won five of their 12 Tests and won one of their four autumn matches.
The latest rugby news and analysis, plus all the action of the week reviewed
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Jones is understood to be philosophical but disappointed by the RFU’s decision, having always stressed he was aiming for success at the 2023 World Cup. He insisted, however, he was leaving with a degree of satisfaction for progress of England under him. “I’m pleased with how much we’ve achieved as an England team and look forward to seeing the team perform in the future. Many of the players and I will no doubt keep in touch and I wish them all the best in their future career”.
As recently as March, following England’s disappointing Six Nations campaign, the RFU had backed Jones, saying it was “encouraged by the solid progress the team has made”. Not everyone is convinced that sacking Jones is a wise move now, with former Wallaby international Matt Giteau describing it on Twitter as “the dumbest thing they could do to the English rugby team” and a “huge mistake “.
As a player, Cumbria-born Borthwick won 57 England caps and also captained his country for two years. Since retiring in 2014, he has coached with Japan, Bristol and Leicester, as well as his five-season stint in England with Jones in charge. Last season he led the Tigers to their first Premiership title since 2013.