RFU to extend Steve Borthwick's contract beyond 2027 Rugby World Cup despite fan doubts

Steve Borthwick is set to be handed a contract extension by the Rugby Football Union through to 2028, according to a report in The Telegraph, securing his position beyond next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The 46-year-old Lancastrian took charge of England ahead of the 2023 Six Nations and guided the side to the semi-finals of that year’s World Cup in France. He has won 57.4% of his Tests as head coach — 28 from 48 — since succeeding Eddie Jones, and will reach the milestone of 50 Tests when England face Japan on Saturday, 14 November, at Allianz Stadium. Only Sir Clive Woodward and Jones have overseen more than 50 Tests in charge of England.

Despite a 12-game winning run under his tenure, Borthwick has never fully won over England supporters. This year’s Six Nations proved a particular low point, with England finishing fifth — their worst-ever Championship result since the competition expanded to six teams — and persistent speculation about his future in the role.

The RFU’s decision to extend his contract, along with keeping the wider coaching staff intact, is a deliberate show of faith ahead of the 2027 tournament. RFU performance director Conor O’Shea explained the rationale, telling The Telegraph: “You don’t want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup]. Everyone knows it will be judged on the World Cup, but you can’t have a group of coaches going in with that uncertainty, especially when you look at the timing. So we will give that certainty, and that will give us time to look properly.”

O’Shea was emphatic in his support for Borthwick personally. “I see in Steve someone who bleeds England, and wants England to succeed more than anything you can imagine,” he said. “This England team is unequivocally one of probably five teams who can win the World Cup next year. I believe this team can win a World Cup. Is the talent there? One hundred per cent. If over this next 12 months this England team shows the best version of itself, I know it can beat anyone in the world.”

When England face Japan on 14 November, Borthwick will join double Grand Slam winner Geoff Cooke as the only other northern England-born coach to reach 50 Tests in charge of the national side.