The decision by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney to reveal that he has installed Steve Borthwick as England head coach until midway through 2028 just before their opening match of the Nations Championship against Australia is staggeringly bad timing.

Instead of allowing the England team to focus on the imperative of beating Australia, it snared the Red Rose camp in a spider’s web of succession politics at exactly the wrong time.
Sweeney’s miscalculation was based on the premise that, as RFU ring-master, his unequivocal backing of Borthwick would bring stability and certainty to the England ca...