It's less than nine months until the Rugby World Cup gets underway in France, and English rugby is at the crossroads again.
After weeks of speculation, the inevitable axe as fallen on head coach Eddie Jones after the Australian failed to persuade RFU bosses to let him lead the side into 2023. Whilst Jones was so often the master of instigating sudden media frenzy during his tenure, by contrary, his departure was more akin to a slow death following England's underwhelming Autumn campaign.
It brings to an end a seven-year reign which incorporated a World Cup final in 2019, a Grand Slam, and three Six Nations titles, but also one later plagued by poor performance and disharmony. And now it appears that Steve Borthwick, a meticulous planner who led the Leicester Tigers to the English Premiership title last season, will soon be confirmed as his successor.
