Austin Healey calls for change after England continue disastrous Six Nations campaign with defeat in Italy - 'It's time for Steve Borthwick to go'
Published 08/03/2026 at 14:19 GMT
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Austin Healey believes "it's time for Steve Borthwick to go" after England lost against Italy for the first time, continuing their disastrous Six Nations campaign. Borthwick's side have now suffered three consecutive defeats, leaving them well out of contention heading into their final game. It comes after the RFU said it is "fully committed" to Borthwick and his coaching team.
'It's time for him to go' - Healey gives scathing Borthwick opinion after Italy humiliation
Video credit: TNT Sports
Austin Healey believes "it's time for Steve Borthwick to go" after England continued their abysmal Six Nations campaign on Saturday with a first ever defeat against Italy.
England won their opening game of the tournament against Wales, but have now suffered three consecutive defeats, with losses also coming against Scotland and Ireland, leaving them well out of contention heading into their final game against France.
The Rugby Football Union gave Borthwick its backing on Sunday, saying it remains "fully committed" to the England head coach, but Healey believes "it's time for a change".
Speaking on TNT Sports on Sunday afternoon, the former England international said: "The stats aren't good for Steve Borthwick, the amount of support he’s had is top-notch.
"I think it's time for a change. I think it's time for Steve to go, because I watched that side, and there doesn't seem to be trust between the players and the coaching staff.
"There doesn't seem to be a style of play that you can hang your hat on. They don't go out and attack; there’s no pace.
"There's the captain, Maro Itoje, the yellow card he got, it was criminal, it was dreadful. You would never expect that from a captain or any player, for that matter."
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Maro Itoje leaves the field after being shown a yellow card against Italy
Image credit: Getty Images
Healey added: "They are doing things as a squad of players they shouldn't be doing, so there's a disconnect. I think the disconnect has to be changed.
"If you want to go on to the World Cup, we always talk about the World Cup - I don't care! It’s 18 months away. I want to win the Six Nations, I want to win every game for England, and playing like that is unacceptable."
The RFU said it will examine what has gone wrong in a "hugely disappointing" campaign, but underlined its support for Borthwick.
"After a 12-match winning run, these past three results have been hugely disappointing, and we feel that just as much as everyone else," said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.
"Steve and his coaching team are working tirelessly to make improvements, and we remain fully committed to supporting them and the players as they face France this weekend and then look ahead to the Nations Championship.
"Part of that support is being open about what hasn't gone right during this Six Nations and making sure everyone has a clear sense of how we move through those challenges together.
"That's something we'll be talking through and working on in the days and weeks ahead."
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England's players appear stunned after a first-ever defeat in Rome
Image credit: Getty Images
Sweeney continued: "We will work together to understand and rectify why we have been unable to meet the expectations and anticipation going into these games.
"England fans rightly expect a team that learns and grows through adversity, and we're confident this group will do everything they can to deliver that."
Following the 23-18 defeat against Italy, Borthwick defended his record, with England having gone unbeaten for over a year before the defeat against Scotland last month.
Asked in Rome if he was the right man for the job, Borthwick replied: "Absolutely."
The 46-year-old added: "Right now this is a tough period, but what we will do is learn from it and make sure we are stronger going forward.
"It is tough right now, and we are not hiding away from the fact it is tough."
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Steve Borthwick speaks to the press after England's third defeat on the spin
Image credit: Getty Images
Borthwick was appointed England head coach in December 2022, taking over from Eddie Jones after taking Leicester Tigers from the bottom of the PREM to the title within two seasons.
He guided them to the final of the World Cup during his first year in charge, before a difficult 2024, including a run of five successive losses towards the end of the year.
But results soared in 2025, with four wins in their last four Six Nations games, three wins from three in the summer, and a perfect record in the autumn, which included a win over New Zealand.
However, after a promising start to this year’s Six Nations, with an emphatic win over Wales, England were comfortably second best in the defeats against Scotland and Ireland before the disaster in Rome on Saturday.
Borthwick now has a 59% win ratio as England head coach, a figure bettered by both of his immediate predecessors, with Jones recording 73% and Stuart Lancaster 61%.
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England captain Maro Itoje said at full time that the players should be the ones to shoulder the blame for the disastrous run.
"The coaches set us up to do well," he told BBC Sport. "We as players have to take responsibility. It is us - myself as captain and the guys on the field."
Itoje added: "We just have to stay together. We are going through a tough period, and when you are in a period like this, you see the characters of the team.
"We don't want to be in this position, and we are very disappointed that we are. We haven't performed to the level we wanted to, so we have to work and own it. There's nothing else to do other than get back to work.
"If we had the answer, we wouldn’t be in this position. I can promise the fans that we are going to fight."
England will face France in Paris in their final game of the tournament, looking to deny the defending champions a second successive title.
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