England coach Steve Borthwick and RFU bosses to LOSE significant annual bonuses for failing to meet in-house targets – after suffering fifth straight defeat against South Africa

The men overseeing England’s current period of turmoil are not in danger of losing their job at this stage – but they will lose money as a result of the recent run of defeats.

Head coach Steve Borthwick, RFU performance director, Conor O’Shea, and the union’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, will see annual bonuses significantly cut for failing to meet in-house targets. 

While the exact figure is a closely-guarded secret, achieving a set percentage of wins in a calendar year is an employment term for the trio and England’s best-case return of five in 12 Tests in 2024 means they will fall a long way short of expectations.

The defeat against world champions South Africa last Saturday was the national team’s fifth loss in succession and sixth in their last seven matches. For now, the embattled Borthwick retains the support of his employers, but there is concern about a lack of tangible returns on perceived progress.

Once the final Autumn Nations Series at Twickenham concludes with the match against Japan next Sunday, Borthwick and his assistant coaches will be allowed some time off in December, before a full and forensic official review is conducted in January.

 It is understood that the union hierarchy are willing to give the benefit of the doubt about a series of single-digit setbacks against the best teams in the world, while also recognising that England have undergone a tactical expansion.

There is a belief in the corridors of power that the national team can come good in the Six Nations, with the expectation of home wins against France, Scotland and Italy, and over Wales in Cardiff, after the taxing opener away to Ireland. 

Borthwick is regarded as a workaholic who invites oversight from his bosses and has created a positive working environment.

Yet, he will face tough questions about results. Within the RFU, there have been growing grumbles from certain officials and council members, while senior figures have been directly caught up in the backlash against England’s slump.

An anonymous panel of experts from rugby and other sporting backgrounds will convene in the New Year to stage an inquest before deciding if any meaningful action has to be taken. Regime change is not currently on the agenda, but Borthwick is known to be under ‘constant review’ on a campaign-by-campaign basis. 

The RFU are unhappy with the defeats but are thought to regard the manner of them as very different to those prior to the abrupt removal of Eddie Jones in 2022.

After staging their debrief, the panel will vote on recommendations. If at any point they resolve that removing Borthwick is the way forward, their conclusions would be presented to the RFU board. They in turn would consider the contractual and legal aspects of any such decision.

Borthwick is understood to be subject to a six-month notice period, as was Jones towards the end of his tenure, so if the head coach was sacked, the RFU would not be liable to pay off the full term of his contract up to the end of the 2027 World Cup. But, that is a hypothetical consideration for now.

While the union are desperate for success, they are mindful of what is viewed as a promising bigger picture, following a revamp of the structure below the senior team. 

England’s Under 20s won the junior World Cup in the summer and there is optimism at Twickenham that if Borthwick and his side can ride out the current storm, there will be better times ahead.

Next weekend, England face a Japan side under the guidance of their former head coach, Eddie Jones. The Australian was dismissed by the RFU two years ago, but it is understood that he narrowly avoided that dire fate years earlier. 

After a run of six straight defeats, Jones was on the verge of being sacked at the end of the summer tour of South Africa in 2018, only for a stunning, match-winning assist by Danny Cipriani in Cape Town to earn him a reprieve.