Sir Clive Woodward has called for England to appoint Kevin Sinfield as the new defence coach. Eddie Jones was relieved of his duties as the national side’s coach on Tuesday, with Leicester Tigers' Steve Borthwick currently the favourite to replace him.
Sinfield, 42, who etched himself into Leeds folklore during his two-decade spell at Headingley, along with Borthwick put together a marvellous campaign at the Tigers who were crowned Premiership champions at the end of the 2022 season.
In his latest Daily Mail column, he suggests the current Tigers defence coach should be recruited by the national side along with Borthwick. “If it is Steve Borthwick who comes in then we’ve all got to get behind him and I wish him all the best,” he wrote.
“I hope they don’t just pick him because he’s an Englishman. I hope they pick him because they think he’s the best coach in the world. I knew Borthwick as a player and he must be given the full support and resources to ensure there are no excuses. The one thing for sure is the media bandwagon around Jones will disappear with Steve — what you see is what you get and that alone will be a breath of fresh air.
“I have no doubt every single English player will look forward to working with him and his team. He must be allowed to bring in his own coaching team, and if I was him I would definitely bring Kevin Sinfield over from Leicester. He’s the only defence coach out there who can soften the blow of missing out on Shaun Edwards.”
Jones became the England coach in 2015 and over his seven years in charge, he boasted a 73 percent win record, superior to any previous Red Rose head coach including Woodward himself. Under his tutelage, England reached the 2019 World Cup final and won three Six Nations titles, including a grand slam in 2016.
But 2022 has seen a change in fortune, with his team producing its worst results since 2008. England managed just one win in November and an annual return of just five victories in the last 12 Tests, and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) decided it was time for a change.
Woodward was one of Jones’ loudest critics, and last week claimed the Australian should lose the job if England lost their last game to Scotland, and his wish was granted much sooner than he possibly anticipated. "England are not just losing, they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots," he wrote in the Mail.
"As England coach you need to care very much what people think. The RFU have to start getting tough on Jones."
