RFU stops short of delivering full backing for Borthwick but denies Farrell talks
The Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has provided another strong indication that the head coach Steve Borthwick will lead England in this summer’s Nations Championship fixtures pending the outcome of a formal review into their disappointing Six Nations campaign,While Sweeney declined to state definitively that Borthwick will be in charge for a difficult run of Test matches against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July he said the RFU’s main focus in the review is providing additional support to the existing coaching team, as well as revealing that there have been no approaches made to Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach whose contract expires after the 2027 World Cup,Sweeney’s frankness on Farrell could return to haunt him given the uncertainty over the British and Irish Lions coach’s long-term plans, and remaining doubts over Borthwick’s future beyond this summer,Farrell has a chequered history with the RFU, serving as England defence coach under Stuart Lancaster before the entire staff were sacked after they were eliminated at the pool stage of the home 2015 World Cup,He subsequently rejected an offer to join Eddie Jones’ backroom team three years later after failing to receive assurances that he would replace the Australian as head coach after the 2019 World Cup.
With two Six Nations titles including a grand slam with Ireland, and last summer’s successful Lions tour on his CV, Farrell is the outstanding coach in European rugby, and with the Irish Rugby Football Union eager to extend his contract there is a danger the RFU could miss out again,“He is under contract to the 2027 World Cup,” Sweeney said,“We’re not in a dialogue, we’re not in a discussion with him at the present,We’re going through the review now and our primary focus is to support that coaching team and take them forward,The primary focus is to get to the bottom of the issues, and clearly there are some.
“I see the outcome being for us to make sure we have got the right support mechanisms in place to address that, and support Steve to get that right, going forward.”The RFU issued a statement in Sweeney’s name backing Borthwick after England lost to Italy for the first time earlier this month, with a heartbreaking 48-46 defeat by France in Paris the following week condemning them to their worst Six Nations campaign in statistical terms, as it brought only one victory, in their opening game against Wales.Sweeney was reluctant to go into more details as the review process is ongoing, but the most likely outcome at this stage is changes or additions to Borthwick’s backroom team.The creation of a new general manager role in the mould of the South African head coach, Rassie Erasmus, to enable Borthwick to focus on coaching, has also been discussed.“No one was more disappointed than we were in the Six Nations,” Sweeney said.
“There was a lot of expectation going in, coming off a run which was really strong.That was not how we expected it to go so we were very disappointed.“We would have the normal review process anyway, but in a situation like this where we have had a result in the Six Nations that was not anticipated, then there’ll be a deeper dive.We would anticipate having the whole process wrapped up by the end of April.”After losing four straight games in the Six Nations for the first time, England’s next assignment against the double world champions South Africa in Johannesburg could scarcely be more daunting, while their following games against Fiji and Argentina will also be challenging from a logistical perspective.
Fiji have switched their notional home game to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for commercial reasons giving England a gruelling travel schedule hopping between the hemispheres,The RFU had explored sending some players straight from South Africa to Argentina and effectively picking a reserve team against Fiji, but Sweeney conceded this would not be possible as Borthwick is limited to picking a 36-man squad under the terms of the Professional Game Partnership with Prem Rugby,“There isn’t scope at the moment to expand that above 36,” he said,“That’s the fixed squad size,”
From basil to pistachio and peas – in praise of pesto, whichever way you make it
It was not without satisfaction that I found my 14-year-old son making pesto the other week – for the first 13 years of his life he referred to it as either “pesto-the-bogey-man”, or “gross”. To avoid interfering and sabotaging the moment, I didn’t look too closely, so I didn’t clock the shallow bowl and immersion blender combination. I did hear the noise – a blunt churn – as the blade hit the leaves and nuts. Acting more like a leaf blower than cutter, it sent green and white oily fragments up the cupboards and over pretty much every pot, utensil and tool nearby. Impressively unfazed, he managed to scrape a good proportion of the elements into the food processor and make an extremely tasty pesto, which was mixed with linguine, green beans and potatoes
Anything but eggs – the best chocolate for Easter
If you like chocolate and nut butter, Radek’s Chocolate is doing wonderful things with both, and its dairy free Silky Almond Chocolate Rabbit is magically creamy. Looking more like subservient mice than bunnies, NearyNógs’ dark chocolate bunnies, stuffed with salted caramel, were my favourite. A superb, successful marriage of very good Ecuadorian chocolate and caramel: worthy of a royal telegram.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
Four knockout bakes and tips from the master: Edd Kimber’s recipes for cooking with chocolate
From a white chocolate cheesecake tart and flourless chocolate cake to double chocolate olive oil and marbled matcha cookies, explore chocolate’s endless versatilityChocolate is a truly magical ingredient. Not only is it a powerhouse of flavour, it also pairs beautifully with other ingredients to make something incredible. Chocolate isn’t one note, mind; from the heady richness of an intense dark chocolate to the nostalgic creaminess of milk chocolate and the often maligned simplicity of white chocolate, it can be the star of the show or simply the supporting act. Chocolate can do it all.This is my go-to dinner party dessert
Sauces, spreads, sprinkles – and cocktail in a can: whose fridge is this?
Amba sauce “I’m very jar orientated; a lot of my cooking is about combining big flavours. I’m also a sucker for a sour ingredient, and this Iraqi pickled mango condiment is really sour – more so than tamarind. If I’m garnishing a dish with tahini, then I’ll use amba to cut through the richness, otherwise I’ll use it in lieu of citrus.”Stem ginger in syrup “My grandpa always gave me this when I was a kid, and I thought it was disgusting. However, now it’s essential; I often make a (chopped) stem ginger and spring onion salsa – it’s sweet and spicy
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for potato, aubergine and herb tortino alla fiorentina
The sky is the same shade as old Tupperware, our tortoise appears to have gone back into hibernation, the flat upstairs has builders in, but the kitchen smells gorgeous, thanks to this week’s recipe. It is one of the variations suggested by Anna Gosetti Della Salda for her aubergine and egg tortino alla fiorentina in the Tuscany chapter of Le Ricette Regionali Italiane, an indispensable book that I would save from a fire. The addition of potato to the aubergine makes it an even more substantial, velvet-like and better-tasting dish, I think: a layered vegetable bake crossed with a frittata that fancies itself as having a touch of baked eggs (although don’t expect any puffing up).Instead of the aubergine, you could use artichoke hearts (trimmed and cut into slim wedges), courgettes or cardoon, and, if you fancy, you could also add a crumbled sausage or a handful of diced pancetta. Whatever you use, however, a fundamental stage in terms of both flavour and texture is the initial cooking of the vegetables: frying the potatoes, then covering the pan so they fry-steam into tenderness; the aubergine by simply frying
How to turn old sourdough into a classic pudding – recipe | Waste not
Bread-and-butter pudding is a zero-waste recipe that has stood the test of time, not least because it’s so practical, comforting and thrifty. Like the best no-waste dishes, it transforms something worthless such as old bread into something truly indulgent. This version is based on Raymond Blanc’s classic, with a few of my own simplifications and adaptations over the years.Most traditional bread-and-butter pudding recipes call for white bread, caster sugar and extra egg yolks, but, unless you’ve got a clear plan for those egg whites, they can very easily end up being wasted. Whole eggs work beautifully in custard, and make very little difference to the richness of the finished pudding; I simply use a touch less milk to compensate
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