England players back Steve Borthwick after talks, amid shock exits

A group of senior England players held a call on Sunday to address the shock resignation of defence coach Felix Jones and reaffirm their confidence in the direction of travel under Steve Borthwick.

While there was acknowledgement of Jones’ impact and expertise during the meeting, having moulded an effective blitz system over just eight Tests since he arrived from South Africa, Telegraph Sport understands leading players were said to be “robustly” behind head coach Borthwick and Richard Wigglesworth, a key assistant in the set-up.

Within the leadership group, it is understood there remains an excitement around a young and talented crop of players that have produced eye-catching performances, notably in the victory over Ireland and in close losses to France and the All Blacks.

It is understood that the Rugby Football Union remains intent on Jones fulfilling as much of his 12-month notice period as possible, ideally staying on with England for at least two campaigns – the four Tests to finish this year as well as the 2025 Six Nations – despite his resignation.

Jones has previously shown himself able to work with a future assignment on the horizon. His appointment to the England staff was announced in March 2023, some nine months before he began work under Borthwick after helping the Springboks to a second consecutive World Cup triumph. Nonetheless, the search for a new defence coach is under way.

Jones’s onward destination remains unclear, though the chance to reunite at Leinster with Jacques Nienaber, another Springboks ally, would surely be attractive should the opportunity arise.

The RFU is yet to officially comment on the impending exit of Jones.

For Borthwick, the immediate priority is now to settle upon a replacement for Aled Walters, who has left the set-up to join Ireland and, because of his relatively short notice period, will be in position as Andy Farrell’s head of athletic performance ahead of the autumn internationals in November.

Because of the nuances of the impending Professional Game Partnership, whoever comes in for Walters is likely to need to devote a significant amount of time and energy to liaising with club conditioning departments in a departure from previous responsibilities.

‘Nobody saw this coming’

England full-back George Furbank has admitted that the departures of Jones and Walters had surprised him.

“Nobody really saw it coming,” Furbank conceded. “It was a bit of a shock. It was a bit of an odd timing, but I’m sure the people Steve will bring in will do a good job.”

Three of Furbank’s Northampton colleagues – Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman – agreed the news had come out of the blue and that the pair would be missed.

Furbank then hailed the blitz defence developed by Jones as a tactical approach England should retain. “It helped us go from a defence that was ranked fourth or fifth in the world to first or second,” Furbank said.

“We definitely saw massive improvements. It can become an all or nothing thing but the majority of the time, if you get that right and you train it, it becomes a very difficult defence to attack against.

“We’ve experienced that here at Saints. When you face those [blitz] defences, it’s hard to be able to move the ball and execute your game plan. It’s a defence that took a while to understand but I think once you do, you feel like such a dominant side.”

Hailing the “humour” of Walters, who has left the set-up to join Ireland as head of athletic performance, Furbank backed Borthwick to source suitable replacements.

With Freeman describing himself as “gutted” and Mitchell hailing Jones and Walters as a pair of “great coaches”, Smith expressed his admiration for Jones’ expertise.

“It’s going to be a real shame with those two guys not being around,” he added. “Aled’s an amazing character and drives so much of the energy in there and Felix is one of the hardest working coaches and one of the best rugby brains I’ve come across.

“There’s no two ways about it, they’re going to be a big loss. Everyone who has worked with them would like to thank them for how much they’ve put into us and wish them all the best for their future. It’s a real shock and bit of a shame but these things happen.”