England to extend head coach Borthwick's contract

England head coach Steve Borthwick will have his contract extended past the 2028 Six Nations in a bid to avoid uncertainty over his future before and during next year's Rugby World Cup.

As it did with Red Roses boss John Mitchell before the 2025 World Cup, the Rugby Football Union has moved to ensure Borthwick and his staff have some clarity over their positions going into the global showpiece.

According to RFU performance director Conor O'Shea, extending Borthwick's deal into the middle of 2028 will allow time to decide who leads the team in the longer-term.

"You don't want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup]," O'Shea explained.

"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."

Following a review into England's "horrendous" Six Nations earlier this year, Borthwick has been backed to lead the team through to the World Cup, with O'Shea adding he can't see a scenario where Borthwick isn't in charge in Australia.

In the July leg of the Nations Championship, England recovered from a bruising defeat by South Africa in Johannesburg to vanquish Fiji in Liverpool and edge out Argentina to finish the campaign with two wins from three.