The four-month contract extension announced for Steve Borthwick after the 2027 World Cup has got a few people close to losing the plot, but it didn’t really jump out at me.

That’s mainly because if things go poorly for the England head coach either at the World Cup, or even before in this autumn’s Nations Championship matches, or in the 2027 Six Nations, it’s unlikely that Borthwick will continue.
So, the extension is neither here nor there for me, because if the RFU want to let him go they should be in a position to do it at any time.
It’s not easy to see who would replace Borthwick at short...