RFU’s handling of the Six Nations review ignores that England fans aren’t stupid

There has been considerable criticism in recent days that French television directors are not giving rugby supporters a complete view. In that regard, one outlet remains the clear market leader. Claiming that the Rugby Football Union’s public reply to England’s poor Six Nations performance omitted all relevant angles is an understatement.

In an ideal situation, a press briefing would have featured Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, together with Steve Borthwick, the head coach, presenting a unified, purposeful front and explaining exactly why the current approach should be kept despite England suffering four championship defeats for the first time since 1976. Instead, only an email statement appeared, best summed up in four words: “Nothing to see here.”

This tactic has drawbacks, chief among them that England supporters are not naive. The RFU note read, “England’s underperformance across the Six Nations was not the result of a singular failure or issue.” Blimey, does that suggest several shortcomings? If so, in a high‑performance setting one would not anticipate the whole management team being automatically retained through to the next World Cup.

A closer look indicates the chief weaknesses were “discipline, execution of opportunities and making the most of key moments.” Well, blow us all down. Next they might claim that winning a match simply requires scoring more points than the opposition, or that Test rugby consists of two halves. Even if the RFU wishes to keep its tactics secret, the lack of transparency raises more questions than answers.

This leaves everyone trying to infer meaning from the blandest statement since magnolia became the go‑to household paint. As detailed in these pages shortly after the Six Nations concluded, the truth is that the RFU never truly wanted to take a gamble. Doing so would have meant attracting and installing a top‑class replacement while most leading candidates are already under contract elsewhere.

The RFU cannot afford to pay out millions more in severance – recall the sacking of Eddie Jones ahead of the 2023 World Cup – and the countdown to the 2027 World Cup has already begun. It is safer to stick with the known quantity when England is due to face world champions South Africa in Johannesburg in under two months.

What if England collapses at Ellis Park, stumbles against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium and then loses again in Argentina? RFU insiders say Borthwick and his staff have backing until Australia, though the statement avoids stating that outright. Perhaps a sliver of flexibility is being kept, just in case.

Ultimately, a chance to reshape the broader narrative was ignored. If Borthwick is indeed the right man, the opportunity to reset has been spurned.