Rugby: Steve Borthwick new coach of the England team

A new head will animate the future Crunch.

Steve Borthwick is the new coach of XV de la Rose, the English Rugby Federation (RFU) announced on Monday.

Nine months from the 2023 World Cup, the Leicester coach will take over from Australian Eddie Jones, dismissed two weeks earlier.

Former England captain Steve Borthwick led Leicester to the Premier League title last season.

He will be the main coach of the XV de la Rose for five years, the RFU announced in a press release.

We 're

delighted our former captain and forwards coach Steve Borthwick has been appointed England men's head coach from today.

Borthwick will be joined by Kevin Sinfield who has been appointed defense coach.

⬇️https://t.co/QVCvCSnd61 pic.twitter.com/DZl1c8mRQq

— Rugby Football Union (@RFU) December 19, 2022

“We are delighted to welcome Steve back (…) He was our first choice to succeed Eddie”, who was appointed in the fall of 2015, said RFU boss Bill Sweeney, quoted in the press release.

The former international second line (43 years old, 57 caps between 2001 and 2010), who played for Bath and then Saracens, was assistant coach of the England team for eight years alongside Eddie Jones.

He also coached the Japanese forwards, again as the Australian's assistant, from 2012 to 2015.

During Jones' seven-year tenure, England have won the Six Nations Championship three times, including a Grand Slam in 2016, and reached the World Cup final in 2019.

But, everything got complicated in 2022. The XV de la Rose had its worst year since 2008 in terms of results, with six defeats, five wins and a draw in twelve games.

A record that convinced the English federation to sack its coach on December 6th.

"I am deeply honored to be appointed as England's head coach, and I look forward to taking on this challenge," Borthwick said in the RFU statement.

"English rugby is full of talent and I want to build a team that wins, makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people," he added.

I want the whole country to be proud of us and enjoy watching us play.

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The XV de la Rose will host Scotland on February 4 at Twickenham for its first match of the 2023 Six Nations Tournament.