England make Steve Borthwick announcement after horror Six Nations campaign
The Rugby Football Union has made an announcement on Steve Borthwick's future.
The Rugby Football Union insist they remain "fully committed" to Steve Borthwick, despite England's dismal Six Nations campaign. After opening the tournament with a convincing win over Wales at Twickenham to stretch their winning streak to 12 matches, their campaign has collapsed, suffering defeats to Scotland, Ireland and Italy.
The loss in Rome represented the first occasion England had ever been beaten by the Italians, having won all 32 previous matches. Once harbouring hopes of travelling to Paris next week for a Grand Slam showdown against France, they are now fighting to avoid their worst-ever Six Nations showing.
Since Italy joined the tournament in 2000, England have never managed fewer than two wins in a single campaign.
Despite the lacklustre displays over the past three rounds, the RFU have maintained that Borthwick is the right person to guide them into next year's World Cup in Australia.
"After a 12 match winning run, these past three results have been hugely disappointing, and we feel that just as much as everyone else," said Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the RFU, in a statement.
"Steve and his coaching team are working tirelessly to make improvements, and we remain fully committed to supporting them and the players as they face France this weekend and then look ahead to the Nations Championship.
"Part of that support is being open about what hasn't gone right during this Six Nations and making sure everyone has a clear sense of how we move through those challenges together. That's something we'll be talking through and working on in the days and weeks ahead.
"We will work together to understand and rectify why we have been unable to meet the expectations and anticipation going into these games. England fans rightly expect a team that learns and grows through adversity, and we're confident this group will do everything they can to deliver that."
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The RFU's backing arrives as bookmakers reveal the odds on the next coach to take over from Borthwick.
Former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara stands as 3/1 favourite with William Hill, whilst Ireland and Lions boss Andy Farrell is priced at 4/1.
"England's disappointing Six Nations campaign reached a historic low with their first-ever defeat to Italy, piling further pressure on embattled head coach Steve Borthwick," said William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps.
"Having lost three on the spin, RFU bosses have plenty of options to select from should they cut short Borthwick's tenure - current La Rochelle coach and former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara is our favourite to succeed Borthwick, priced at 3/1, just ahead of current Ireland and 2025 British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell (4/1).
"Other names in the frame include ex-All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter and Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson – all 8/1."
Further down the betting are two recognisable figures in Welsh rugby circles.
Warren Gatland, having recently rejected the head coach position at Harlequins, is priced at 16/1, whilst his former assistant Shaun Edwards sits at 20/1.
Gatland was naturally linked with the England role back in 2022, when Borthwick was appointed to replace the dismissed Eddie Jones.
At the time, Gatland even jokingly thanked the Welsh Rugby Union for appointing him for a second spell to prevent him from taking charge at Twickenham, though WalesOnline claim that his association with the position never progressed beyond a cordial discussion.
