Steve Borthwick contract: RFU to extend England deal past 2028 Six Nations

By Jack Shaw · London, England · Published: 13:20 BST

• Steve Borthwick will have his England contract extended past the 2028 Six Nations, with the Rugby Football Union moving to remove any uncertainty before next year’s World Cup in Australia.
• RFU performance director Conor O’Shea says the extension buys the union time to decide who leads England in the longer term: “You don’t want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup].”
• It is not long-term backing — O’Shea has been explicit that Borthwick’s future beyond the tournament depends on how England perform in Australia.

The Steve Borthwick contract question has been answered, but only halfway. The RFU will extend the head coach’s deal past the 2028 Six Nations so that he and his staff are not job-hunting through a World Cup year — and yet Conor O’Shea has made clear the same tournament will decide whether Borthwick keeps the job at all. This is security with a stopwatch attached.

What the Steve Borthwick contract extension actually does

Borthwick, appointed in December 2022, had been contracted only to the end of next year’s World Cup. Extending him into the middle of 2028 mirrors what the RFU did with Red Roses head coach John Mitchell before the 2025 World Cup: give the coaching group certainty going in, then review afterwards with time to plan properly. Chief executive Bill Sweeney has backed him to lead the side in, after the review into what the BBC reported as England’s “horrendous” Six Nations this year.

The form line is mixed. In the July leg of the Nations Championship England were thrashed by South Africa in Johannesburg, then beat Fiji in Liverpool and edged Argentina — two wins from three. Autumn fixtures against Australia, Japan and New Zealand, plus a final-weekend rankings match, come next. For the full timeline on England’s build-up, follow the rolling coverage on the JOE sport hub.

The expert angle: read the Farrell comparison, not the press release

The most revealing detail here is not the extension. It is what the RFU pointedly did not do. Ireland have signed Andy Farrell through to 2031 — a full cycle, a statement of faith. England have signed Borthwick through to a point roughly six months after the World Cup ends. That is not a vote of confidence; it is a notice period with better manners.

And the RFU is being unusually honest about it. “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,” O’Shea said. “So we will give that certainty, and that will give us time to look properly.” Note the last four words. The extension protects the RFU’s succession planning as much as its head coach: if England flop in Australia, the union can run a proper search rather than a panicked one.

O’Shea does insist he cannot see a scenario in which Borthwick is not in charge in Australia, and that England are one of five teams capable of winning the 2027 World Cup. He added: “I see in Steve someone who bleeds England and wants England to succeed more than anything you can imagine.” Effort has never been the charge against Borthwick. Results in Australia are the only argument that will count.

So — is a deal expiring months after the World Cup real backing, or a tidier way to manage an exit? For more on England selectors making a statement, read our take on Kevin Pietersen’s shock England return.