Maro Itoje has again thrown his support behind head coach Steve Borthwick, insisting England can still accomplish “special” things under his leadership despite a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
England slumped to fifth place after losing four straight matches, including a first-ever Test defeat to Italy. RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has signalled that Borthwick will be given the summer tour in the inaugural Nations Championship to try to engineer a recovery.
Sweeney has made clear that if Borthwick secures an acceptable set of results in July — matches against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina — he would be in a position to remain in post through to the scheduled end of his contract following the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Itoje, who captained England during this period, acknowledged the side underperformed after arriving at the Six Nations on an 11-Test winning run. He nevertheless said he trusts Borthwick and his coaching team to put things right.
He praised the staff — including Richard Wigglesworth, Kevin Sinfield, Joe Shaw and Lee Blackett — and said the squad must regroup, learn the necessary lessons and move forward with belief. Itoje said he still has a lot of faith in this group and expects they can go on to achieve special things once they correct course.
England’s Six Nations results
– England 48–7 Wales
– Scotland 31–20 England
– England 21–42 Ireland
– Italy 23–18 England
– France 48–46 England
2026 Six Nations: Final standings
– France: P5 W4 D0 L1 PD+81 B4 Pts 20
– Ireland: P5 W4 D0 L1 PD+38 B3 Pts 19
– Scotland: P5 W3 D0 L2 PD−1 B4 Pts 16
– Italy: P5 W2 D0 L3 PD−38 B1 Pts 9
– England: P5 W1 D0 L4 PD+2 B4 Pts 8
– Wales: P5 W1 D0 L4 PD−82 B2 Pts 6
England’s Nations Championship fixtures
– Round One, July 4: South Africa vs England
– Round Two, July 11: Fiji vs England
– Round Three, July 18: Argentina vs England
– Round Four, November 8: England vs Australia
– Round Five, November 14: England vs Japan
– Round Six, November 21: England vs New Zealand