Kevin Sinfield offered three-year deal by England to take him through to 2027 World Cup

Kevin Sinfield has been offered a new three-year contract by the Rugby Football Union with England coach Steve Borthwick desperate to keep the rugby league icon on his coaching staff.

It is understood that the RFU have made renewed attempts to secure Sinfield on a long-term basis in recent weeks following the surprise announcement last month of the departure of Felix Jones, who replaced him as England’s defence coach before this year’s Six Nations.

Sinfield’s current contract with the RFU expires in November and he has yet to commit to signing a new deal. The 43-year-old joined the England set-up with Borthwick from Leicester Tigers in December 2022 and had originally planned to depart after this summer’s Tests in Japan and New Zealand before agreeing to stay on for the forthcoming autumn internationals against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.

Jones’s shock departure has increased the need for stability within England’s coaching team, with Borthwick lobbying the RFU for Sinfield to be given a contract mirroring his own through to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. While a consultancy arrangement was discussed during the summer, Borthwick has won the argument for Sinfield to be offered a full-time role on a salary of around £300,000.

Sinfield has effectively been Borthwick’s No 2 throughout his time with England, but has grown frustrated over the last year at a lack of definition to his job. He was shifted from defence coach to a dual role encompassing skills and kicking following the arrival of Jones in January.

Sinfield is hugely popular with England’s players, who all want him to stay on. The RFU are hopeful he can be persuaded to do so, but have yet to reach an agreement over a new contract and Sinfield has not offered any guarantees over whether he will sign a new deal.

Borthwick is continuing to explore his options regarding a new defence coach to replace Jones, with Sinfield unlikely to return to that role. The former England rugby league captain is pushing for greater clarity over where he would fit into the coaching team, with negotiations set to continue.

Jones brought about significant improvements in England’s defence during his brief time working with the team, introducing a Springbok-style blitz approach which South Africa used to win the last two World Cups, with RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney admitting last week that his resignation was “deeply disappointing”. The 37-year-old has a 12-month notice period in his contract which the RFU could hold him to, but he is expected to leave at the end of the year.

Retaining Sinfield would provide some stability to Borthwick’s back-room team following a period of considerable turbulence. Welshman Aled Walters left his role as England’s head of strength and conditioning last month to join Ireland as head of athletic performance, while strength and conditioning co-ordinator Tom Tombleson also left the RFU for a new job as rehab coach at Manchester City.

The RFU face a difficult task in balancing the need to strengthen England’s coaching staff whilst managing financial constraints. As revealed earlier this week the RFU have begun the process of making 42 members of staff redundant, although the rugby department will be exempt from the cuts.

The RFU declined to comment.