England will push to appoint Steve Borthwick as their new head coach within the next week.
RFU chiefs have begun talks with Leicester to prise head coach Borthwick away from Welford Road to replace Eddie Jones.
Jones was sacked yesterday, bringing his time with England to a close after seven years in charge, after the national side had slumped to their worst set of calendar-year results since 2008.
The RFU have installed forwards coach Richard Cockerill as an interim boss while negotiations continue over Borthwick.
England bosses are expected to press to install Borthwick quickly, but even accounting for any delays, the former Test captain should be in charge to lead the team into next year’s Six Nations.
England have just nine Test matches before the 2023 World Cup in France in September and know there is no time to lose in reshaping their coaching set-up.
Borthwick will want to bring his Leicester assistants, Kevin Sinfield and Aled Walters, with him to England.
That duo might find themselves following on further down the line, with Leicester not keen on losing the bulk of their coaching team in one swoop in mid-season.
England chiefs are also thought to be interested in a role for Richard Wigglesworth, Leicester’s veteran scrum-half, who also doubles as attack coach.
Wigglesworth’s addition to an England set-up would fit the RFU mould of seeking to develop home-grown coaches to boost the production line for the top job.
Borthwick cut his coaching teeth under Jones with, first, Japan then England, after a stellar career as an imposing lock captaining both Saracens and the national team.
