Two departures from the same department and the bombshell resignation of an influential coach, all in the space of 18 days. It has not been a serene close season for England.

The 2-0 series loss in New Zealand in July will have been gut-wrenching, more so because of how they could have conceivably made history – and even won both games – with a dash more composure and conviction in the second half of each Test.

Still, there was a justifiable air of optimism surrounding Steve Borthwick’s squad. With a core of young players such as George Martin, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, England were becoming intriguing upstarts on the international stage. What has followed represents a tricky curveball that has threatened to endanger impetus.

First domino falls

On Aug 6, less than a month after a 24-17 defeat at Eden Park, Tom Tombleson composed a farewell social-media post declaring himself “excited and sad” to be ending a decade-long stint as a leading conditioner of the senior men’s team.

Tombleson joined Stuart Lancaster’s set-up way back in 2014 and endured the entirety of the Eddie Jones regime between 2016 and 2022; a considerable feat of resilience, even if he was doing what he called “the job I dreamt of as a boy”.

It is understood that Tombleson was moved on following the summer tour, with Borthwick eager to refresh the backroom staff. The subsequent departure of Aled Walters, announced just two days later on Aug 8, came as an inconvenient surprise to England. They will now require more of a reset than a refresh.

It felt jarring for many supporters that such an asset, who had been with Borthwick for a seminal spell at Leicester Tigers, acting as a counterbalancing presence thanks to his outgoing and affable nature, would be with Ireland as soon as the autumn internationals.

A relatively short notice period – far shorter than that of Felix Jones – means that Walters will be able to get stuck into the role of Ireland’s head of athletic performance before his new side hosts New Zealand on Nov 8. England face the All Blacks the previous weekend; a captivating rendezvous.

“I’ve made some great memories with England,” insisted Walters in the official press release issued by the Irish Rugby Football Union. “I want to thank Steve, the management team and the players for their friendship and support. I wish the squad every success for the future.”

Walters has family ties to Ireland and had evidently taken advantage of an opportunity to replace Jason Cowman, who left the post of Ireland’s lead conditioner back in March in the wake of another Six Nations title for Andy Farrell’s men.

Universally admired by those to have worked with him, Walters is thought to be eager to head on a British and Irish Lions tour, too. He will now be collaborating with the head coach of the 2025 side in Farrell.

His gregarious personality would be an ideal fit for the task of galvanising a squad drawn together from four nations in a short period of time. Should he join the Lions, one would not find short odds on Walters starring in a behind-the-scenes documentary of the trip to Australia next year.

Biggest shock of all

Felix Jones, who has a young family in Dublin, shares a close friendship with Walters. The two were colleagues at Munster and then South Africa. Walters also has family ties to Ireland and is understood to have been instrumental in bringing Jones to England after the 2023 World Cup in the first place.

It was the morning of Aug 24, the sixth Saturday after England’s last game, that it was first reported Jones had tendered his resignation to Borthwick. Even if the tight-knit nature of the Jones-Walters relationship was well known, it seemed another shock – more so without an onward destination for the cerebral defence guru.

One wonders about the Lions for him as well. And, further in the future, perhaps Leinster with Jacques Nienaber? For the time being, England want him to stay put.

Borthwick is ploughing on. He will visit Premiership clubs over the coming days to discuss individual player-development programmes. Indeed, he was pictured in conversation with Pat Lam while watching training at Bristol Bears before the end of July. Truly, he possesses a staggering work ethic.

He and the Rugby Football Union will prioritise the appointment of a Walters replacement and then come onto the issue of who can lead their defence and whether they stay committed to the aggressive, all-action blitz. Players seem keen to maintain the same system. It is a genuinely crowd-pleasing approach.

Recent developments, during which three influential members of staff have either left or signalled their intention to depart, have encouraged critics of Borthwick to draw parallels with Eddie Jones and the latter’s chaotic churn of assistant coaches. Three exits in three weeks is jarring, whatever your perspective.

Both players and staff to have straddled these regimes, however, have stressed that Borthwick’s environment is “worlds apart” from the one overseen by his predecessor. Senior squad members were said to back Borthwick and Wigglesworth “robustly” on a call on Sunday.

England now need to instal coaches and conditioners capable of maintaining a feel-good factor. Their November schedule comprises New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan before they kick off the Six Nations in Dublin. There are very few hiding places.

Meanwhile, the popular Kevin Sinfield is said to be close to finalising a contract extension to stay with England beyond this autumn on a part-time basis. After hitting a choppy patch in the middle of summer, Borthwick will hope the waters calm quickly.