Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield will swap Leicester Tigers for England, the Premiership side have officially confirmed following weeks of speculation.
Former England captain Borthwick comes in as the head coach of the national side to replace Eddie Jones in the role.
Former rugby league legend Sinfield will marshall the defence.
Back at Welford Road, Tigers have appointed Richard Wigglesworth as interim head coach after agreeing terms with Borthwick and Sinfield for an early release from their contracts with the club following their success leading Leicester to the Premiership title in 2021/22.
The appointment sees Wigglesworth retire from professional rugby to take on his new role with immediate effect, heading a backroom team of head of physical Performance Aled Walters and assistant coaches Brett Deacon, Matt Everard, Tom Harrison and Matt Smith.
Borthwick said: "I'm deeply honoured to be appointed England head coach, and I am very excited by the challenge.
"The English game is full of talent and I want to build a winning team which makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people to fall in love with rugby union the way I did. I want the whole country to be proud of us and to enjoy watching us play.
"The hard work starts now and planning for the Guinness Six Nations and Rugby World Cup begins today. I will give it everything.”
Borthwick has signed a five-year contract reporting into RFU CEO, Bill Sweeney, who said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Steve back to the RFU. He has been part of the England team for over 15 years and he is our first-choice successor to Eddie.
"Steve and Kevin’s insight and first-hand knowledge of the players will be a great asset and everyone at the RFU is right behind them with our full support.”
Borthwick played lock in 57 Tests for England from 2001-2010 and captained the side 21 times. He played Premiership rugby for ten years at Bath and six years at Saracens; captained both teams and became a Premiership winner in 2011 making 265 Premiership appearances, a record at the time.
His coaching career has included positions with Saracens and Leicester Tigers, where he led the team to winning the 2021-22 Premiership title. He was also recognised as the season’s Director of Rugby, having spearheaded the club’s best winning run for 25 years.
In his international coaching career, Borthwick worked as forwards coach in two Rugby World Cup cycles alongside Eddie Jones for Japan from 2012 to 2015 and for England between 2015 and 2020, with England reaching the final at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He also coached on the British and Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2017 which saw the side draw the Test series against the All Blacks.
Leicester Tigers Chief Executive Officer Andrea Pinchen added: “The first and most important thing to say to Steve is, thank you.
“He is one of the most hard working and dedicated people I have had the pleasure of seeing up close and his commitment to helping rebuild and reshape Leicester Tigers was profound.
“I know it will be disappointing for many to have this news confirmed, however what we want to do now is celebrate what has been achieved with Steve and the achievements made with him.
“On behalf of everyone at Leicester Tigers, I wish Steve - as well as his wife and two boys - all the best in their next chapter, of which I am certain he will be successful in.”
Speaking about Sinfield, Pinchen said: “Like with Steve, we thank Kevin for all he has done during his 18 months at Leicester Tigers.”
“While only a short stay, his impact at our club will be felt for a long time; the ability Kevin has to inspire on areas like teamwork, mateship and commitment is phenomenal.
“Off the field, as much as he has on the field, Kevin has been a great source of inspiration for so many and feel proud that Leicester Tigers have been able to call him on our own.
“I wish Kevin and his family the very best for what comes next and have no doubt that he will continue to be successful in whatever he does.
“It has been a privilege to have worked with and known both Steve and Kev, from whom I have learned a lot and am grateful to for what they have given Leicester Tigers.”
The wider coaching team to support Borthwick will be announced in the coming weeks.
