England to extend Borthwick contract as Pollock closes on £400k Northampton deal

Steve Borthwick will be handed a contract extension until after the 2028 Six Nations giving the Rugby Football Union time to identify his successor if England flop at next year’s World Cup.

The RFU’s move is designed to avoid uncertainty heading into the tournament but stops short of backing Borthwick in the long-term.

Borthwick is contracted until the end of next year’s tournament and the RFU’s director of performance, Conor O’Shea, has made clear that his future beyond that is dependent on how England perform in Australia.

The head coach came out of England’s worst Six Nations campaign earlier this year under considerable pressure but the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has given his backing for Borthwick to lead the side into next year’s tournament.

“You don’t want them looking for a job going into [a World Cup],” said O’Shea. “Everyone knows it will be judged on the World Cup, but you can’t have a group of coaches going in with that uncertainty, especially when you look at the timing. So we will give that certainty, and that will give us time to look properly.”

O’Shea has made clear that Borthwick must target World Cup glory in Australia and while Andy Farrell has been handed a contract with Ireland through to 2031, the RFU has not presented Borthwick with similar long-term backing.

England were thrashed by South Africa at the start of their summer tour before a comfortable victory over Fiji and a narrow win over Argentina. Borthwick’s job will come under further pressure if England disappoint in autumn fixtures against Australia, Japan, New Zealand as well as a finals weekend rankings match.

“I see in Steve someone who bleeds England and wants England to succeed more than anything you can imagine,” O’Shea said. “This England team is unequivocally one of probably five teams who can win the World Cup next year. I believe this team can win a World Cup. Is the talent there? 100%. If over this next 12 months this England team shows the best version of itself, I know it can beat anyone in the world.”

Meanwhile, the RFU has announced a new money-spinning venture with England jerseys to have a sponsor emblazoned across the back for the first time. The deal with Lloyds Bank is thought to be worth £5m a year with Sweeney claiming the arrangement gives the union “largest sponsorship revenue in world rugby”.

The Guardian revealed the RFU was on the verge of confirming the deal as the latest in a string of new sponsorships. England jerseys will feature the Lloyds logo during the Nations Championship this autumn and brings the RFU in line with rivals such as France, who have a similar arrangement with Société Générale. Under tournament rules, England will not be permitted to have sponsorship logos on jerseys during next year’s World Cup, however.

The multi-year deal will see the Lloyds black horse featured on the jerseys of the men’s and women’s teams as well as the training jackets. The jerseys will continue to feature the O2 logo on the front while the RFU secured a kit deal with Castore in 2025.

Henry Pollock is set to roughly triple his salary without Northampton having to break the bank to keep the England starlet. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

The RFU is attempting to diversify revenue streams with the Guardian revealing that the union is expecting to post a £10m loss for the financial year ending 2026, compared with £2m the previous year. The union has told its member clubs that England’s dismal performance in the Six Nations was a contributing factor to the forecasted eight-figure loss.

The year ending 2027 is expected to be more prosperous with sponsorship revenues playing a key factor but the year ending 2028 will see heavy losses due to the World Cup and the absence of autumn internationals at Twickenham.

Meanwhile, Henry Pollock is nearing a new deal with Northampton believed to be worth more than £400,000, ending speculation over the England flanker’s future. The 21-year-old’s agent, Eddie Hearn, had claimed Pollock should be earning £1m a year but the Northampton director of rugby, Phil Dowson, last week insisted a “happy medium” must be reached. Pollock is set to roughly triple his salary without Northampton having to break the bank to keep the starlet, who has 13 England caps to his name.