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England head coach Steve Borthwick has been backed to remain in charge by the RFU following a ‘challenging’ Six Nations review, the union has revealed.
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.
On Tuesday, RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said Borthwick will 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.”
The RFU said their review included interviews with current players, coaches and wider back-room team members, in addition to ‘external independent contributors.’
These were described as ‘in person one to one conversations, enabling open, constructive and, at times, challenging discussions.’
The RFU concluded from these that “despite coming off a 12 game winning run, England’s underperformance across the Six Nations was not the result of a singular failure or issue. Instead, it highlighted a number of interconnected performance areas.
England ensured a dismal Six Nations, losing four from five fixtures in their worst ever championship showing
“We recognise why supporters felt frustrated and that they expected more. That disappointment was shared internally, and it underpinned the seriousness with which everyone engaged in this process.”
Sweeney added: “We’ve all seen what this England side is capable of – most recently in the performance against France, and during the strong winning run before that.
“That doesn’t disappear overnight. The challenge now is delivering that level consistently, and we are confident this group can do that, supported by the insight and feedback this review has surfaced.
“This is a young England team that is still growing and developing, and we understand progress in international sport is rarely linear.”
Borthwick oversaw England’s first ever defeat to Italy, in addition to a record home defeat to Ireland
England next face South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July in the inaugural Nations Championship, travelling to face the Springboks and Pumas either side of the Test with Fiji being played in Liverpool.
In November, England will then host Australia, Japan and New Zealand, with the play-offs and final of the Nations Championship also taking place at Twickenham.
The 2027 Rugby World Cup takes place from October 1 to November 13 2027.
England’s Nations Championship fixtures
- Round One: July 4 – South Africa vs England
- Round Two : July 11 – Fiji vs England
- Round Three: July 18 – Argentina vs England
- Round Four: November 8 – England vs Australia
- Round Five: November 14 – England vs Japan
- Round Six: November 21 – England vs New Zealand
