Borthwick Safe Despite England Review as RFU Seeks Solutions to Six Nations Crisis

Steve Borthwick appears secure in his position as England head coach despite presiding over the national teams worst Six Nations championship in half a century, with Rugby Football Union insiders confirming he will lead the squad through the summer tour.

The RFU has launched a comprehensive review into Englands fifth-place finish and painful defeats to Scotland, Ireland, and Italy, but sources close to the process emphasize the investigation aims to support rather than punish the under-pressure coach.

This review is about supporting Steve to make improvements. If change is needed change is needed but its not about punishing him, explained one well-placed insider. Hes absolutely going to be in post this summer, theres no question about that.

The investigation involves extensive feedback from both senior and younger players as officials attempt to understand how England collapsed from their opening victory over Wales to consecutive defeats that exposed fundamental weaknesses across multiple areas.

Its a proper under the bonnet, lifting-up-the-rocks exploration of what happened after the first game, another source revealed. What happened in those three weeks? Is it cultural, is it environmental, is it selection, is it tactics?

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter believes the problems stem from accumulated issues rather than isolated failures. The reality is that its never one thing thats the problem. Finishing fifth is down to a collection of things that have slowly added up and then multiplied, Baxter observed.

Among the key areas under scrutiny is the composition of Englands coaching staff, with questions raised about whether the blend of assistant coaches requires restructuring. Sale Sharks director Alex Sanderson noted the challenges of managing multiple perspectives within the setup.

Theyve got quite a wide coaching team there, a lot of cooks, Sanderson commented. Theres a lot of opinions to take in. That may be a factor.

The disconnect between Englands stated ambition to play vibrant rugby and their pragmatic approach has also drawn criticism. Post Ireland, it looked like they closed up against Italy, Sanderson observed. They looked like they went back to a very pragmatic kick-compete style which makes you competitive but also keeps the opposition close.

Selection consistency remains contentious, particularly at fly-half and centre positions. George Ford continues to have supporters, with Sanderson arguing, I think consistency of selection has its part to play. Id always have George Ford in there.

Former England centre Simon Halliday advocates retaining the midfield combination that showed promise against France, highlighting Tommy Freeman and Seb Atkinson as future cornerstones.

The youth development pipeline presents mixed signals, with England Under-18s recently losing 63-33 to France and last summers Under-20 squad finishing sixth at the Junior World Cup. However, graduates like Henry Pollock and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have successfully transitioned to senior level.

Bath coach Johann van Graan remains optimistic about emerging talent. Theres some very good talent in English rugby, he stated, citing promising prospects within the Premiership academies.

The domestic structure faces ongoing challenges with automatic relegation ending and expansion league proposals complicating the Championship tier. Second-tier advocates argue that reduced pathways limit young players opportunities for crucial senior experience.

With England slipping to sixth in world rankings and facing South Africa in Johannesburg this July, time pressures intensify ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The summer tour represents a critical opportunity to demonstrate progress before the review conclusions emerge in mid-April.