Defeat in Rome was England’s third in succession
No mention of next year’s World Cup in statement
The Rugby Football Union has backed Steve Borthwick to continue as England head coach for the summer’s Nations Championship fixtures despite a desperate losing run but the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, stopped short of pledging his support through to next year’s World Cup.
Borthwick is under intense scrutiny after England’s first-ever defeat by Italy on Saturday extended their losing streak to three matches following miserable losses to Scotland and Ireland with the former winger and Guardian columnist Ugo Monye among ex-players questioning the head coaches’ position. England are on course for their worst-ever Six Nations campaign and begin their summer Nations Championship fixtures with a daunting trip to South Africa.
After the 23-18 defeat in Rome, Borthwick insisted he believed he was still the man to lead England and expressed belief he had the RFU’s support to do so. His contract runs through to the 2027 World Cup and publicly he has the backing of the players with the captain Maro Itoje pointing to the 12-match winning run that was ended by Scotland last month.
