England head coach Steve Borthwick says he has the full backing of the RFU despite the team being on the worst run in six years after they fell 29-20 to South Africa on Saturday at Twickenham.

England head coach Steve Borthwick has claimed that his players were not fit enough coming into the Autumn Nation Series despite the Rugby Football Union spending £264 million to give him greater control of their conditioning.

Steve Borthwick believes he has the “absolute support” of the RFU after England fell to a fifth defeat in a row by losing to South Africa. The Springboks ran out 29-20 winners at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening to consign England to their third defeat of this Autumn Nations Series.

England head coach Steve Borthwick is confident he has the backing of the Rugby Football Union despite presiding over a fifth successive defeat after South Africa triumphed 29-20 at Allianz Stadium. Cheslin Kolbe’s 62nd-minute try placed the Springboks in a commanding position and even when replacement prop Gerhard Steenekamp was sent to the sin-bin England could not break through,

England coach Steve Borthwick said that the yet another painful defeat, this time 29-20 to South Africa on Saturday to continue their miserable Autumn series, will help his team in the long run as they continue their development.

England head coach Steve Borthwick is confident he has the backing of the Rugby Football Union despite presiding over a fifth successive defeat after South Africa triumphed 29-20 at Allianz Stadium.

Freddie Steward insists the players and not Steve Borthwick are at fault for the autumn washout that has piled pressure on England’s head coach. Steward believes Borthwick has been “let down” by his team after South Africa clinched a 29-20 victory on Saturday,

The diagnosis of England’s malaise should not require a torturous debrief. They are, to be blunt, mentally weak, so terrified of their own shadows in the closing stages of the toughest Tests that they cannot even conjure inspiration against 14 men.

Steve Borthwick is safe for now – but history shows a cautionary tale for underperforming England - Small signs of progress have been shown by England this November but Borthwick is under pressure aft