Rugby: England rugby team appoints Steve Borthwick as head coach

The new England Rugby Union coach Steve Borthwick poses for the photographers during a photocall at Twickenham Stadium. Photo / AP

England’s rugby team has appointed Steve Borthwick their head coach on a five-year contract.

Borthwick, 43, masterminded Leicester’s Premiership title triumph last season, and he succeeds Eddie Jones in English rugby’s top job.

Jones was fired almost two weeks ago after presiding over England’s worst year of results since 2008, managing only five wins from 12 games.

The Rugby Football Union also announced today that Leicester assistant coach and former Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield will join Borthwick as defense coach at Twickenham.

Borthwick will take up his England role immediately, the RFU said, with Sinfield beginning work later this week.

“I am deeply honored to be appointed England head coach, and I am very excited by the challenge,” Borthwick said in a statement. “The English game is full of talent and I want to build a winning team which makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people to fall in love with rugby union the way I did.”

Borthwick, a former England skipper and ex-England forwards coach, won 57 caps and played almost 400 times for Bath and Saracens as an outstanding second-row forward.

He joined Leicester as head coach in 2020, transforming their fortunes from a club in the Premiership’s lower reaches to title winners.

His first England game at the helm will be a Six Nations opener against Scotland on Feb. 4.

The RFU added that Borthwick’s wider coaching team will be announced in the coming weeks.