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<\/p>\nEngland finished fifth, level on points with Wales, after just one victory in the 2026 Six Nations and it has led to calls for Steve Borthwick to go<\/p>\n
Steve Borthwick, the England head coach(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Calls for change at the top of English rugby have intensified after former England international and prominent pundit Stuart Barnes urged the RFU to replace Steve Borthwick following the team\u2019s disastrous Six Nations<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n England finished fifth in the table after Saturday night\u2019s chaotic 48-46 defeat to France in Paris, ending the tournament with just one victory – against Wales in round one – in what has been widely described as the side\u2019s worst-ever Six Nations performance.<\/p>\n A formal review by the RFU is now set to take place over the coming weeks, with Borthwick required to explain the reasons behind England\u2019s slump and outline how he plans to turn results around ahead of the Nations Championship this summer.<\/p>\n But writing in The Sunday Times<\/a>, Barnes delivered a scathing assessment of England\u2019s direction under the current regime and said the time had come for a new head coach.<\/p>\n \u201cThe damage to England\u2019s Six Nations was done before Saturday night,\u201d Barnes wrote. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the defeats against Scotland and Ireland and a first loss to Italy so much as the way England played.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever Steve Borthwick is involved in competition rugby he pulls up the drawbridge and reverts to the safety-first option of the boot. It is time for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more<\/a><\/p>\n Barnes acknowledged that England\u2019s free-flowing display in the dramatic defeat to France might lead some to argue Borthwick deserves more time, but he believes that performance should not disguise deeper problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the handbrake off, it is no \u00adsurprise that England did what they did in Paris,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis 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?\u201d<\/p>\n Barnes has made his opinion clear, arguing that England require a different style of leadership ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of the result in Saturday night\u2019s match, my conclusion would have been the same,\u201d he said. \u201cEngland need a fresh man to take them to the World Cup. And that man is Michael Cheika.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian, currently working with the Sydney Roosters in rugby league<\/a> after a spell coaching Leicester Tigers, is seen by Barnes as the ideal candidate to transform England\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n Barnes also pointed to Cheika\u2019s track record of rapid turnarounds, highlighting how he took Australia from struggling in 2014 to World Cup finalists a year later.<\/p>\n The call comes as Borthwick prepares to face scrutiny during the RFU\u2019s standard post-tournament review process, which involves an anonymous panel of internal and external figures, including former players.<\/p>\n On this occasion the England head coach will be asked to provide explanations for the team\u2019s four-match losing run, which included heavy defeats to Scotland and Ireland and a damaging loss to Italy in Rome.<\/p>\n Despite the growing criticism, Borthwick has received backing from within the squad, with England captain Jamie George insisting the players remain fully behind their head coach.<\/p>\n Get the latest Wales Rugby merch at Kitbag<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> from \u00a3,24.60<\/p>\n Kitbag<\/p>\n![\"Content](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_Untitled-11jpeg.jpg\"\/)
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