Ex-British and Irish Lion hopeful England miss out on ‘one of the best coaches in the world’ as Borthwick replacement

The RFU gave Steve Borthwick their backing to keep his position as England head coach until the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Borthwick has faced serious questions about his future in this role following England’s poor Six Nations campaign and their first-ever loss to Italy.

While the RFU have given its backing to Borthwick until 2027, they will certainly be looking at alternatives to who could assume the head coach role following the tournament, unless England goes on to win the Webb Ellis trophy for the second time.

Former British and Irish Lion Conor Murray believes that England may be aiming to have a conversation with Andy Farrell about taking over the position when his contract with Ireland expires after the World Cup.

Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell checks his watch ahead of the Guinness Six Nations 2026 match between England and Ireland

Murray believes Farrell is one of the best coaches in the world and would hope that Ireland could hold onto him for as long as possible to keep bringing success to the Emerald Isle.

Speaking to the Times, the former Munster star explained: “We want to keep him here.

“He is one of the best coaches in the world. The RFU would have to ask him. If he went somewhere else [such as England], he could do the exact same thing, plug in whatever he is doing here and be successful.

“Playing under Andy was the best time of my career because of the way he empowers players and because of the environment he creates. It is so good. Ireland were a bit shaky in November, but I always knew we would see out that period. Andy would have got around the players and made them believe. For a coach like that, you can play beyond yourself. That is his secret weapon.”

While England is Farrell’s nation, he has been working in Ireland since January 2016, when he joined Munster in a temporary advisor role before joining Ireland as a defence coach in the same year after the Six Nations.

Farrell would be appointed head coach of Ireland, replacing Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup, and since then he has won four Triple Crowns and two Six Nations, with one of those being a Grand Slam.

Conor Murray of the British & Irish Lions during the second test between South Africa and the British & Irish Lions (Getty Images)

Prior to the 2026 Six Nations campaign, there was some concern about the future of the Ireland team, but as they came within seconds of being crowned champions of the competition, there is now more of an optimistic look on the team as they build towards the World Cup.

Murray hopes this, along with the next generation looking strong, may make Farrell consider staying on as Ireland head coach for the foreseeable future.

He said: “I don’t think anyone would like to see Andy leave, because of what he’s built and what he’s continuing to produce.

“It’s a relatively young squad now, with loads of new blood. I’m sure he’s really excited about where that group can do. I hope he stays. I think he will stay.”