Former England fly-half and outspoken pundit Stuart Barnes has called on the RFU to sack Steve Borthwick following their dismal Six Nations campaign.
The Red Rose came into the tournament with high hopes of competing for a title and a Grand Slam, but that was extinguished by Round Three.
A defeat to Scotland ended their chances of a Grand Slam, before a thrashing by Ireland a week later ended their quest for silverware.
They then succumbed to Italy for the first time ever as the pressure began to mount on Borthwick ahead of their trip to Paris.
Although England went on to put in a fine display, they went down to a fourth Six Nations loss in a row following a last-minute Thomas Ramos penalty.
Barnes steadfast in his view
The nature of that performance may ultimately save the head coach’s job, but Barnes wants him to be replaced.
“With the handbrake off, it is no surprise that England did what they did in Paris. This brave showing was an isolated performance in a Six Nations season of concentrated conservatism and should not alter the overwhelming question: should Borthwick stay or should he go?” he wrote in his Sunday Times column.
“The kneejerk reaction is to say keep him off the back of Saturday’s result. Let’s avoid that and focus on Borthwick’s England since his appointment.
“From little to no constructive rugby in his first Six Nations to the absolute in unimaginative ugliness throughout the 2023 World Cup.
“The green shoots of a more balanced game during the 2024 Six Nations through to fortuitous home wins in 2025 and that one truly outstanding 80 minutes against a woeful Wales team in Cardiff.
“Eight more consecutive wins followed that performance and, yes, hands up here, the results blinded even the sceptics. But hindsight — a wonderful thing — reminds us that eight of the wins in that 12-match streak were at Twickenham.
“Scotland and France were the better team in two of those games and the All Blacks were ending a troubled year that resulted in the dismissal of Scott Robertson as head coach.
“The inexcusable three performances — not the bare results — in the Six Nations before the French finale is the basis on which to judge Borthwick.”
Supporting fellow ex-England fly-half’s view
Barnes insisted that his mind had been made up before England produced their best performance of the Six Nations and ran France close.
He has joined fellow ex-Test fly-half Andy Goode in urging the RFU to replace Borthwick with a former Wallabies head coach.
“Regardless of the result in Saturday night’s match, my conclusion would have been the same. England need a fresh man to take them to the World Cup. And that man is Michael Cheika. Here’s someone with a mind blessedly open to global influences,” he wrote.
“Borthwick’s was an understandable appointment but it was not thought through deeply enough. He is a coach whose instincts trust statistics rather than players.
“In contrast, Cheika is as inspiring as the present England coach is not. Borthwick is a technician; he’s not a leader. And England need a leader.”
It would be a big decision to make with the Rugby World Cup only 18 months away but Barnes believes that Cheika has a track record of having an immediate impact.
“Doubters will say there is insufficient time before the World Cup, but Cheika has proved this a myth. He took a toiling Australian team from stragglers in 2014 to World Cup runners-up a year later, thumping England in the process,” the former playmaker added.
“Cheika is the master of short-term turnarounds; Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, must now stick or twist. If he sticks and England flop in Australia, both he and Borthwick will be gone, the damage to English rugby well and truly done.”