Eddie Jones goes into bat for old pal Steve Borthwick ahead of review

Former England head coach Eddie Jones feels sacking Steve Borthwick would be “foolhardy” despite a poor Guinness Six Nations campaign.

England finished fifth in the table following a dramatic 48-46 defeat by France on Saturday night, with the round-one victory over Wales the solitary win from a tournament which had promised so much.

The Rugby Football Union is set to review England’s worst performance in Six Nations history, but Borthwick continues to have the support of his players and has already been backed by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.

Australian Jones took on the England role from 2015 until his departure in 2022 and worked alongside then former assistant coach Borthwick, who replaced him ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Jones feels now is not the time for another change as England regroup for the build-up to the Nations Championship, which begins against South Africa on July 3, and on towards next year’s World Cup.

“Steve’s done a good job with England,” Jones said on the Rugby Unity podcast, which he co-costs with David Pembroke and Ewen McKenzie.

“There is no doubt that they had a bad tournament, so he will need to show to the RFU that he knows why he has had a bad tournament, he knows how he is going to turn it around and I am sure he can do that.”

Jones, now in his second spell as Japan head coach, added: “I think (Borthwick) is the right man to coach England and I think they (RFU) should support him through this.

“Maybe he has got a few things wrong and they will need to help him rectify those errors, but they would be foolhardy to change.

“I think they are still struggling to find (their identity). I think Steve knows how he wants to play and I think there is probably an internal battle going on within the players.”