Premiership clubs hopeful Steve Borthwick’s England regime will herald selection change

Senior figures at Premiership clubs are hoping the new England regime will offer a more inclusive outlook towards selection and growth.

The RFU will continue talks with Leicester in a bid to bring in Steve Borthwick to replace the sacked Eddie Jones as head coach.

England have just nine Tests and less than 11 months until the World Cup in France next year, so the eventual new regime will have precious little time for experimenting.

But Borthwick is likely to pen a deal until 2027, leaving the 43-year-old with a full World Cup cycle beyond next year’s tournament in France.

The squad will certainly need refreshing after the 2023 World Cup, even if short-term changes prove modest.

And coaches and other influential figures at clubs are hoping the new England set-up will cast a wider net for genuine selection chances.

Jones has been sacked after a seven-year reign where a nucleus of fringe players found themselves unable to break into the senior squad in any meaningful capacity.

While relations between the RFU and the clubs have never been better, Jones’s attitude towards the Premiership and its talent frustrated many in the top-flight.

A host of young talent was drafted into England squads across Jones’s tenure, but many were discarded without feeling they were given a real opportunity to prove their mettle at Test level.

Borthwick’s approach at Leicester has seen a new generation of academy players flourish at Welford Road, and a number of senior Premiership figures will hope this can be repeated with England.

England must revitalise their tactical approach quickly next year, even if playing personnel changes are slight, after a miserable 2022 of just five wins in 12 Test matches.