RFU decision made on Steve Borthwick’s future as England head coach for the World Cup

Steve Borthwick was under incredible pressure following England’s Six Nations campaign, in which they won only one match and finished fifth in the competition.

It was a campaign to forget for the nation as they suffered their first-ever defeat to Italy, and this was the catalyst that led to serious questions being asked about Borthwick’s future.

There was a lot of hope coming into the Six Nations after their run of 11 consecutive victories prior to February had fans believing this could be their year as they built to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

However, three poor performances against Scotland, Ireland and Italy, followed by a defeat to France, were enough to deem their Six Nations campaign a failure.

The RFU released a statement after their first loss to the Azzurri to back Borthwick at least through the summer international period in which England would begin their campaign in the inaugural Nations Championship; however, this did not guarantee that he would be head coach for the World Cup, and this would be pending a thorough review of the last Six Nations.

Steve Borthwick

Now, this has been completed, and the RFU have come to a decision regarding the future of Borthwick as head coach of England; he has been confirmed as the man that will lead the nation to the 2027 World Cup.

In a statement, the RFU said: “Following the conclusion of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the RFU, with the support of external independent contributors, has completed a detailed and robust review of the campaign, informed by players, coaches and the wider back-room team.

“The process included a series of in‑person one‑to‑one conversations, enabling open, constructive and, at times, challenging discussions.

“These conversations, along with other insight, helped ensure the review was grounded in honesty and a focused assessment of where things didn’t go well across the championship.

“The review concluded 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, such as discipline, execution of opportunities and making the most of key moments, where improvement is required if England are to consistently perform at the level expected.

“While performance confidentiality in a competitive international sporting environment limits the level of detail that can be shared publicly – particularly around game strategy and execution – the way in which the team aspires to play was clear throughout the review.

England's players react at the end of the Six Nations international rugby union match between Italy and England at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome

“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.

“England head coach Steve Borthwick has engaged in the review with honesty and rigour, and he and his coaching team are already addressing issues identified.”

RFU boss Bill Sweeney added his thoughts to the decision as he gave Borthwick his backing moving forward as England coach, having seen enough to encourage him from their performances leading into the Six Nations and then against France.

Sweeney said: “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.

“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.

Ollie Chessum of England celebrates scoring his team's second try during the Guinness Six Nations 2026 match between France and England (Getty Images)

“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.

“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 the Rugby World Cup 2027.”