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Former Bristol captain Matt Salter dies aged 49
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One name features heavily as England fans call for Borthwick sack
By Josh Raisey
It seemed unimaginable just a matter of weeks ago when England won their 12th match on the bounce against Wales in round one of the Guinness Six Nations, but Steve Borthwick appears to be holding onto his job by his fingernails following their first-ever loss to Italy on Saturday.
On the back of lacklustre defeats to Scotland and Ireland, the England boss rung the changes for the trip to Rome, hoping to breathe life into a side that were only ranked third in the world last month. But the errors that plagued England in rounds two and three appeared again, as Borthwick’s side look to be in total freefall.
There was plenty of pressure on the England chief heading into the match, and the calls for his sacking have reached fever pitch now with fans, pundits and former players calling for his exit.
VIDEO
Former England fly-half Andy Goode posted on X: “Borthwick out simples.”
Over on Virgin Media Sports, former Ireland fly-half Ian Madigan said that ‘it doesn’t look like they [England players] are playing for the coach.
RugbyPass transfer guru Neil Fissler wrote: “Dear Steve, Please leave now! Yours in Rugby Fizzy,” and openly pondered: “I wonder if Phil Dowson [Northampton Saints head coach] still has an international release clause in his new contract?”
One account demanded Borthwick be ousted and questioned why England didn’t compete at the final lineout, with Italy set to kick the ball out for full-time.
“No matter what Borthwick out! So just so i can understand England didn’t compete for a lineout that Italy could kick out to win the game. The dumbest team I have ever come across.”
While a moment like this will inevitably see the reemergence of calls for Shaun Edwards to take over, it is unlikely that England will be able to lure the French assistant coach away from his role with 18 months to go until the World Cup. Similarly, Andy Farrell will be hard to prise away from Ireland.
One name that has been bandied about since the final whistle is Scott Robertson, who has been without a full-time job since parting ways with the All Blacks at the end of the year. A snag in that plan, however, is a clause in the Kiwi’s exit barring him from coaching another nation for a year.
Whatever happens, it seems unlikely that a decision will be made swiftly by the RFU, who will likely conduct a review. For Borthwick, his side have the daunting challenge of facing title-chasing France in Paris next week. Even a win at the Stade de France may not be enough to keep him in a job.
