England head coach Steve Borthwick has been backed to remain in charge of the RFU after a “challenging” Six Nations review, the association has revealed.
England entered the 2026 Championship on an 11-Test winning run but, despite starting with victory over Wales, ended up suffering four defeats from five, including away to Italy for the first time in their 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 of England’s worst ever Six Nations show.
“This has been a thorough and honest review and it is clear that improvement will come from addressing multiple areas rather than chasing a single answer,” Sweeney said.
“Steve has engaged in this process with full transparency and has clear plans in place to address these results. We are all behind him and his coaching staff going into the Nations Championship and the series of matches leading up to Rugby World Cup 2027.”
The RFU said its review included interviews with current players, coaches and wider backroom team members, in addition to “external independent contributors.”
These were described as “personal one-on-one conversations that enable open, constructive and sometimes challenging discussions.”
The RFU concluded from these that “despite winning 12 games, England’s underperformance across the Six Nations was not the result of a single failure or problem. Instead, it highlighted a number of inter-linked areas of performance.
England made for a dismal Six Nations, losing four from five games in their worst ever Championship
“We recognize 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 have all seen what the England team is capable of – most recently in the performance against France and during the strong winning run before that.
“It’s not going away overnight. The challenge now is to deliver that level consistently and we’re confident this group can do that, supported by the insights and feedback this review has emerged.
“This is a young England team that is still growing and developing and we understand that progress in international sport is rarely linear.”
Borthwick oversaw England’s first ever defeat to Italy, as well as a record home defeat to Ireland
England next face South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July in the inaugural Nations Championship, traveling to face the Springboks and Pumas on either side of the Test, while Fiji play in Liverpool.
In November, England then host Australia, Japan and New Zealand, with the play-off and final of the Nations Championship also taking place at Twickenham.
The 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place from 1 October to 13 November 2027.
England’s Nations Championship matches
- First round: 4 July – South Africa vs England
- Second round: July 11 – Fiji vs England
- Third round: 18 July – Argentina vs England
- Round four: November 8 – England vs Australia
- Fifth round: 14 November – England vs Japan
- Round Six: November 21 – England vs New Zealand