James Haskell and Andrew Goode have unloaded on the Rugby Football Union after the governing body publicly backed head coach Steve Borthwick to lead England into the 2027 World Cup cycle, despite the team's 2026 Six Nations campaign being the worst the nation has produced in half a century.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod, the former England internationals and broadcaster Jim Hamilton said the RFU's official review — which took 52 days to land — had effectively told English supporters nothing while quietly closing the door on any real coaching change.
A review that 'identified' the obvious
Haskell laid out the bones of the announcement before letting fly. "There has been a review into England's dismal — to quote — Six Nations campaign, worst for 50 years, which is a fact, not just a quote," he said. "They identified issues around discipline, accuracy and key moments. But from everything that's coming out, they're backing Steve for the Nations Championship that's coming up and leading into the Rugby World Cup, which means the World Cup as well, I presume."
He pointed to the precise wording as proof the RFU were leaving themselves room to retreat. "It's leading into the 2027 World Cup," he said. "So leading — I mean, the lead starts now, but it doesn't say for the World Cup. It's all in the words, eh?"
Goode picked up the thread by quoting Welsh broadcaster Sam Warburton, who he said had been the first pundit to call the statement out. "I thought Sam Warburton summed it up really well over the weekend saying it's very wishy-washy," Goode said. "He's got no skin in the game. He's Welsh. He ain't bothered whether Borthwick stays or leaves. He just went, 'It's wishy-washy.' Which I thought was really good of Sam just to be that brutally honest."
'52 days for that?'
Goode reserved most of his anger for what he called a deliberately opaque process. "It was 52 days for the review process to conclude after the Six Nations and they've kept it all hush-hush," he said. "No one knows who's on it. So no one knows who's making these decisions. No one knows who's reviewing what. This was the big one, because it was an opportunity to make change if they felt they needed to make change — which clearly they feel they don't. But then they just put a few words in there like, 'We've identified issues around discipline, accuracy and key moments.' My eight-year-old twins could have said that. No [expletive], Mum."
He added that the RFU's stated reason for withholding detail did not stand up. "They're not releasing any details for what was the term — 'performance reasons' or something. That tournament's been and gone. As a fan, that leaves a bit of a sour taste. I'm not calling for his head, but I just think something needs to be said."
Haskell agreed, broadening the criticism to a culture of secrecy he sees across the Test game. "We've been so closed off and so guarded to the fans," he said. "The lack of transparency — in the Gregor Townsend Newcastle Red Bulls thing, who's doing what within the union, where does David Nucifora sit — and all of these things. They're always so quiet and you can't piece anything together. The RFU's hand might be forced. I do like Bill Sweeney, but yeah, I think that transparency piece is the next evolution for us as a game."
Mark McCall the name in the room
With Borthwick reinforced for now, attention on the panel turned to who might be in the frame the next time English rugby asks the question. Producer Rob floated the name still hovering above the conversation — Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, fresh off a third straight Premiership-title-bound campaign in north London.
"Mark McCall for England," Rob put to the panel. Haskell could see the logic. "He's been at the wheel for a long, long time," he said. "The most successful club coach in the modern era when it comes to English rugby. He brought a load of those Saracens players through, he's seen the good, he's seen the bad, he's dealt with drama. I think he'd be great for the job — but without speaking for him, it's maybe a question for him. There's maybe a little bit of sailing off into the sunset off the back of Saracens winning the Prem season."
For now, the Rugby Pod's verdict on the RFU's biggest decision of the year was that it had failed to read the room. England's supporters wanted answers, not asterisks — and a 52-day review that landed on 'discipline, accuracy and key moments' was never going to satisfy a fan base still smarting from rugby's heaviest five-game embarrassment in living memory.
