Sir Clive Woodward blasts RFU review that only ‘questions the credibility’ of Steve Borthwick
England head coach Steve Borthwick and an inset of Sir Clive Woodward.
Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward has slammed the RFU’s review process following the team’s worst-ever Six Nations performance.
On Tuesday, the RFU confirmed that Steve Borthwick will remain in his position as head coach through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup after what RFU CEO Bill Sweeney described as a ‘thorough and honest review’.
The process began following the conclusion of the 2026 Six Nations campaign, with the union conducting the review with external independent contributors, all of whom were anonymous, and informed by players, coaches, and the wider back-room team.
Woodward has dubbed the outcome of the review process as ‘predictable as it was disappointing’, stating that it was even more disappointing than England’s fifth-place finish.
Sir Clive Woodward: The RFU should already know what is going on
He believes that Sweeney should have thrown his support behind the head coach immediately after the defeat to France in the final round of the Championship and stated that there was no need to overreact and that he would be backed through to the World Cup.
Instead, they conducted a prolonged review that was unnecessary in Woodward’s opinion and only brought Borthwick’s credibility into question. Furthermore, he took issue with the fact that those involved in the process did not put their names on the review.
“Sweeney and the RFU leadership should already know what is going on,” the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach wrote in his Daily Mail column, stating that a director of rugby should be in place as Borthwick’s boss and report to the board.
He added: “The RFU talks openly of conducting reviews after every major campaign. This is ineffective. In the time taken to uncover what went wrong, the tournament has come and gone (and been lost).
“All you achieve is to question the credibility of your head coach. Elite sport moves fast. Solutions for fixing the 2026 Six Nations will not necessarily suffice for South Africa away in July, just like the recipe for winning 12 matches in a row did nothing to guarantee success in the Six Nations.
“High performance is an evolution and end-of-term reviews are too slow. I did not expect the RFU to share anything meaningful. But I did chuckle when I saw the line about England’s performance being undermined by ‘discipline, execution of opportunities and making the most of key moments’.
“This was obvious in February. What have they been talking about for two months?”
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“I am embarrassed for those people”
Returning to the topic of anonymity in the review process, Woodward wrote that he is ’embarrassed’ for those who participated, as the coaches and players have borne the brunt of backlash, but those who review their performance don’t accept any responsibility.
“The RFU love a review because it offers zero accountability,” he continued.
“This brings me to my next point. I am embarrassed for those people involved in the decision-making who want to remain anonymous. How can we trust a process when those involved aren’t willing to put their name to it?
“Borthwick, his coaches, and the players have taken heaps of stick. Why should they play judge, jury, and possible executioner without any of the same responsibility? How can you call yourself an expert if you are not willing to be accountable?”
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