Steve Borthwick used his first words since being approached to take charge of England to thank Eddie Jones for all he has taught him.
The Leicester boss refused to discuss Jones’ old job ahead of Tigers’ Champions Cup opener on Sunday against Ospreys in Wales. He did admit to talking “regularly” to the Rugby Football Union and said he had been “very upfront with the players about anything and everything”.
But with his club locked in negotiation with the RFU over compensation for him and his coaching team, the Cumbrian would add only that he expected to still be coaching Leicester a week from now: “There’s always things that go on around a team,” said Borthwick. “Your job is to be focused on what you need to do.
