RFU stops short of delivering full backing for Borthwick but denies Farrell talks

The Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has provided another strong indication that the head coach Steve Borthwick will lead England in this summer’s Nations Championship fixtures pending the outcome of a formal review into their disappointing Six Nations campaign.

While Sweeney declined to state definitively that Borthwick will be in charge for a difficult run of Test matches against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July he said the RFU’s main focus in the review is providing additional support to the existing coaching team, as well as revealing that there have been no approaches made to Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach whose contract expires after the 2027 World Cup.

Sweeney’s frankness on Farrell could return to haunt him given the uncertainty over the British and Irish Lions coach’s long-term plans, and remaining doubts over Borthwick’s future beyond this summer.

Farrell has a chequered history with the RFU, serving as England defence coach under Stuart Lancaster before the entire staff were sacked after they were eliminated at the pool stage of the home 2015 World Cup. He subsequently rejected an offer to join Eddie Jones’ backroom team three years later after failing to receive assurances that he would replace the Australian as head coach after the 2019 World Cup.

With two Six Nations titles including a grand slam with Ireland, and last summer’s successful Lions tour on his CV, Farrell is the outstanding coach in European rugby, and with the Irish Rugby Football Union eager to extend his contract there is a danger the RFU could miss out again.

“He is under contract to the 2027 World Cup,” Sweeney said. “We’re not in a dialogue, we’re not in a discussion with him at the present. We’re going through the review now and our primary focus is to support that coaching team and take them forward. The primary focus is to get to the bottom of the issues, and clearly there are some.

“I see the outcome being for us to make sure we have got the right support mechanisms in place to address that, and support Steve to get that right, going forward.”

The RFU issued a statement in Sweeney’s name backing Borthwick after England lost to Italy for the first time earlier this month, with a heartbreaking 48-46 defeat by France in Paris the following week condemning them to their worst Six Nations campaign in statistical terms, as it brought only one victory, in their opening game against Wales.

Sweeney was reluctant to go into more details as the review process is ongoing, but the most likely outcome at this stage is changes or additions to Borthwick’s backroom team. The creation of a new general manager role in the mould of the South African head coach, Rassie Erasmus, to enable Borthwick to focus on coaching, has also been discussed.

“No one was more disappointed than we were in the Six Nations,” Sweeney said. “There was a lot of expectation going in, coming off a run which was really strong. That was not how we expected it to go so we were very disappointed.

“We would have the normal review process anyway, but in a situation like this where we have had a result in the Six Nations that was not anticipated, then there’ll be a deeper dive. We would anticipate having the whole process wrapped up by the end of April.”

After losing four straight games in the Six Nations for the first time, England’s next assignment against the double world champions South Africa in Johannesburg could scarcely be more daunting, while their following games against Fiji and Argentina will also be challenging from a logistical perspective.

Fiji have switched their notional home game to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for commercial reasons giving England a gruelling travel schedule hopping between the hemispheres.

The RFU had explored sending some players straight from South Africa to Argentina and effectively picking a reserve team against Fiji, but Sweeney conceded this would not be possible as Borthwick is limited to picking a 36-man squad under the terms of the Professional Game Partnership with Prem Rugby.

“There isn’t scope at the moment to expand that above 36,” he said. “That’s the fixed squad size.”

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