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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nick Purewal

Steve Borthwick to be confirmed as new England rugby boss imminently with Kevin Sinfield deal also agreed

Steve Borthwick will be confirmed as England’s new head coach on Monday.

The Leicester boss is understood to have told the Tigers squad he would be leaving Welford Road after yesterday’s 23-16 Champions Cup win over Clermont.

Kevin Sinfield is also expected to be named as Borthwick’s England assistant, with the RFU understood to have agreed a major compensation claim with Leicester.

England sacked head coach Eddie Jones on December 6 and have been working towards appointing Borthwick as the Australian’s replacement ever since.

Jones’ assistant Richard Cockerill was put in day-to-day charge of England affairs while the RFU sought their new boss.

Former England captain Borthwick now has nine Test matches and 10 months until the World Cup kicks off in France.

England’s assistant coaches under Jones now face an uncertain future, with Sinfield’s main focus at Leicester having been on defence. Jones had recruited Brett Hodgson to succeed Anthony Seibold as defence coach from January.

Rugby League great Sinfield has the credentials to work on attack, but the composition of Borthwick’s backroom staff is yet to be finalised.

Borthwick is understood to want to take Leicester’s head of physical performance Aled Walters with him to Twickenham, but any move there may have to wait until the summer.

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