Steve Borthwick is set to have his England contract extended beyond the 2028 Six Nations. The RFU will hand Borthwick the extension to avoid uncertainty around his future before and during next year's World Cup. RFU performance director Conor O'Shea said: "You don't want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup].
"Everyone knows it will be judged on the World Cup, but you can't have a group of coaches going in with that uncertainty, especially when you look at the timing. "So we will give that certainty, and that will give us time to look properly." Borthwick has been back to lead England to the World Cup, following a "challenging" Six Nations review. England came into the 2026 championship on an 11-Test winning run, but despite starting with victory over Wales they ended up suffering four defeats from five including away to Italy for the first time in history and a record home loss to Ireland.
The end result was Borthwick's side finishing fifth in the Six Nations standings just over 18 months before the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. Last week, RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said Borthwick would be backed after a review into England's worst-ever Six Nations showing. "This has been a thorough and honest review, and it is clear that improvement will come from addressing several areas rather than chasing one simple answer," Sweeney said.
"Steve has engaged in this process with full openness and has clear plans in place to address these findings. We are all behind him and his coaching team going into the Nations Championship and the series of matches leading into Rugby World Cup 2027." Meanwhile, Courtney Lawes and Joe Marchant must outshine their domestic rivals when the Gallagher Premiership season starts after being warned they will not walk straight back into England's autumn squad. Defence coach Richard Wigglesworth has outlined what is required from the Sale duo in the five competitive fixtures that take place before Borthwick names his squad for the second phase of the Nations Championship.
Lawes and Marchant, members of the 2023 World Cup squad, have become available for England selection again after returning from spells at French clubs to join the Sharks over the summer. Both players would be valuable assets for Borthwick, Test centurion Lawes providing experience, leadership and back-row pedigree while Marchant offers another option in the problematic midfield department. England will closely monitor their progress over the coming weeks and for all their pedigree, they need to prove themselves again.
"We want as much quality as we can have in the league but they are going to have to go and play well," Wigglesworth said. "There are some good players in the room and to pick them you have to leave someone else out, so they would have to go over and above that I would say. "It's great to have Courtney back.
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