2027 World Cup is closer than you think, says Borthwick

STEVE Borthwick admits he faces a race against time to get England up to speed as he turns his sights to the 2027 World Cup.

- ADAM HATHAWAY

The England head coach was ruing a missed opportunity when he flew from New Zealand last week after running the All Blacks close twice.

In Dunedin and Auckland the tourists were within a single score of the Kiwis without getting over the line as the streetwise hosts closed out both Tests.

Borthwick’s to-do list includes going through the fine detail of the new central contracts, persuading Dan Cole to keep going and he is also planning a trip to the USA to visit NFL teams.

But his most pressing concern is instilling experience and nous into his side and he admits he has got not much time to do it.

“It is a young group and I say that for no other reason than it is just a fact.

I need to coach them as fast as I can,” said Borthwick. “We have around 35 Test matches between now and the World Cup. I can’t get more games. I can’t buy experience in international rugby. So, all I can do is look at the programme of how we maximise every minute of learning off field and on field. That’s the goal right now in this next period when the players have their break and I will look at exactly what we need to do.