Steve Borthwick has disputed that England’s coaching staff has been unsettled by the change ahead of a busy autumn, which begins on
November 2 against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium. Felix Jones, who managed the defence, resigned in August despite having no other
job set up, and Aled Walters, who left as head of strength and conditioning, has taken on a similar post with Ireland.
Both coaches were regarded as key protagonists in England’s bid to win the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and their departure forced Borthwick
to search for replacements. Joe El-Abd has taken over the defence while serving as Oyonnax’s director of rugby until the conclusion of the
season, while Dan Tobin is in charge of fitness until Phil Morrow is released from Saracens.
Jones is said to have made his choice due to a “unstable working environment,” although Borthwick, commenting about the changes for
the first time, emphasized that the make-up of his backroom team remained consistent.
“I see that as fairly seamless in terms of how we work. Borthwick noted Richard Wigglesworth, Tom Harrison, Kevin Sinfield, and Andrew
Strawbridge are all very consistent. “Clearly, there has been a change with Felix’s decision not to work with the England team in the
future, but Joe is a coach I have known and respected for a long time.”
“We know one other very well, and he’s been to the camp several times before. He has a strong understanding of how we work.”
Jones, who helped South Africa win the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, has been working remotely since telling England he wanted to quit,
and Borthwick has declined to disclose his post-autumn plans. “I’m not thinking about it because, as you can assume, my attention is
focused on the games in front of us.
“One of Felix’s greatest assets as a coach is his ability to analyse and research the opposition. He has also been doing the handover and
transition to Joe El-Abd to move our defense forward.”
Borthwick has chosen a 36-man squad for the autumn, with first-choice scrum-half Alex Mitchell out due to a neck ailment that has
stopped him from participating this season. Mitchell now faces the risk of missing all four Tests, which begin against the All Blacks and
continue with Australia, South Africa, and Japan.
“We are assessing it, and given the nature of the injury, we want to make sure we do everything correctly for Alex. He underwent an
assessment about a week ago, and it indicated some signs of improvement. There will be another examination in a few weeks. I don’t want
to rule anyone in or out under the circumstances, but it’s obviously very tight.”
Henry Slade’s return from shoulder surgery is imminent, and Borthwick must decide whether to give him a match for Exeter before facing
New Zealand. The outlook for George Ford and Fraser Dingwall is likewise promising as they heal from thigh and knee ailments, with
comebacks expected in the autumn.
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