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England national rugby union team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with England national rugby league team.
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see England women's national rugby union team.

England
Shirt badge/Association crest
EmblemRed Rose
UnionRugby Football Union[1]
Head coachSteve Borthwick[2]
CaptainJamie George[3]
Most capsBen Youngs (127)
Top scorerOwen Farrell (1,237)[4]
Top try scorerRory Underwood (49)
Home stadiumTwickenham Stadium[5]
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current7 (as of 18 November 2024)
Highest1 (2003, 2019)
Lowest8 (2009, 2015, 2023)
First international
 Scotland 1–0 England
(Edinburgh, Scotland; 27 March 1871)
Biggest win
England 134–0 Romania 
(London, England; 17 November 2001)
Biggest defeat
 Australia 76–0 England
(Brisbane, Australia; 6 June 1998)
World Cup
Appearances10 (First in 1987)
Best resultChampions (2003)
Websiteenglandrugby.com

The England national rugby union team represents the Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on 29 occasions (as well as sharing 10 victories), winning the Grand Slam 14 times and the Triple Crown 26 times, making them the most successful outright winners in the tournament's history. They are currently the only team from the Northern Hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup, having won the tournament in 2003, and have been runners-up on three further occasions.

The history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official test match, losing 1–0 to Scotland. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) which started in 1883. Following the schism of rugby football in 1895 into union and league, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. They first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, and Australia in 1909. England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and progressed to the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their Grand Slam in 2003, England went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup, defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time. They contested the final again in 2007 in defence of their title, losing 15–6 to South Africa, and reached the final for the fourth time in 2019, once again losing to South Africa, 32–12.

England players traditionally wear a white shirt with a rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts, and navy blue socks with a white trim. England's home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910. The team is administered by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame; one of these is also a member of the IRB Hall of Fame. Seven other former players are members of the IRB Hall – four solely for their accomplishments as players, two solely for their achievements in other roles in the sport, and one for achievements both as a player and administrator.

History

[edit]
Main article: History of the England national rugby union team

Early years

[edit]
The England team before playing in their first international match, versus Scotland in Edinburgh, 1871

The expansion of rugby in the first half of the 19th century was driven by former pupils from many of England's public schools, especially Rugby, who, upon finishing school, took the game with them to universities, to London, and to the counties.[6] England's first international match was against Scotland on 27 March 1871; not only was this England's first match, but it is also noted as being the first rugby union international.[7] Scotland won the match by one goal and a try to England's one unconverted try,[8][9] in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.[10] A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872, when England defeated Scotland by a goal, a drop goal and two tries to Scotland's one drop goal.[11][12] The early matches did not use a structured points system; this would not be introduced until after 1890 when a suitable format for the scoring system had been devised.[9] Up until 1875, international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored (conversions and dropped goals), but from 1876 the number of tries scored could be used to decide a match if the teams were level on goals.[13]

In 1875, England played their first game against Ireland at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil;[9] this was Ireland's first test match.[14][15] England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup.[16][17] Their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardson's Field in Blackheath,[17][18] where England recorded their largest victory, winning by seven goals, six tries, and one drop goal to nil,[9] and scoring 13 tries in the process.[18] The subsequent meeting the following year at St. Helen's in Swansea was a closer contest, with England defeating Wales by two goals and four tries to nil.[9][19] Two years later, England emerged as the inaugural winners at the first Home Nations championship.[20] In 1889, they played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives at Rectory Field in Blackheath[21][22] by one goal and four tries to nil.[9] England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland in 1890.[23]

England first played New Zealand (known as the "All Blacks") in 1905 at Crystal Palace in London. New Zealand scored five tries, worth three points at the time, to win 15–0.[24] England played France for the first time in March 1906 in Paris, winning 35–8, and later that year they first faced South Africa (known as the "Springboks"), again at Crystal Palace. James Peters was withdrawn from the England squad when the South Africans refused to play against a black player;[25] the match was drawn 3–3. England first played Australia (known as the "Wallabies") in January 1909 at Blackheath's Rectory Field, where they were defeated 9–3.[26]

Illustration by Frank Gillett showing the England versus The Original All Blacks Test attended by a then-record crowd of at least 50,000. The New Zealanders won 15–0.

The year 1909 saw the opening of Twickenham Stadium as the RFU's new home, heralding a golden era for English rugby union. England's first international at Twickenham in 1910 brought them victory over Wales on their way to winning the International Championship (known from then as the Five Nations) for the first time since 1892. Although England did not retain the Five Nations title in 1911, they did share it (with Ireland) in 1912. England then achieved their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1913, another in 1914, and a third in 1921 after the First World War. A further two consecutive Grand Slams followed for the England team in 1924 and 1925,[27] this despite having started 1925 with an 17–11 loss to the "Invincibles" in front of 60,000 fans at Twickenham.[28]

After winning a sixth Grand Slam in 1928, England were subjected to a 7–0 defeat by the Springboks in front of 70,000 spectators at Twickenham in January 1932. Following the expulsion of France from the International Championship in 1931 due to professionalism, which reverted the Five Nations tournament back to the Home Nations,[29] England proceeded to win the 1934 and 1937 championships with a Triple Crown, and achieved their first victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham in January 1936.[30][31]

When the Five Nations resumed with the readmission of France in 1947 after the Second World War, England shared the championship with Wales. The early Five Nations competitions of the 1950s were unsuccessful for England, winning one match in the 1950 and 1951 championships.[27] England won the 1953 Five Nations, and followed this up with a Grand Slam in 1957, and win in 1958. England broke France's four-championship streak by winning the 1963 Championship.[27] After this victory, England played three Tests in the Southern Hemisphere and lost all three: 21–11 and 9–6 against the All Blacks, and 18–9 against Australia.[32] England did not win a single match in 1966, and managed only a draw with Ireland. They did not win another Championship that decade.

Don White was appointed as England's first coach in 1969. According to former Northampton player Bob Taylor, "Don was chosen because he was the most forward-thinking coach in England".[33] His first match in charge was an 11–8 victory over South Africa at Twickenham in 1969.[citation needed] Of the eleven games England played with White in charge they won three, and drew one and lost seven. He resigned as England coach in 1971.[citation needed]

England had wins against Southern Hemisphere teams in the 1970s; with victories over South Africa in 1972, New Zealand in 1973 and Australia in 1973 and 1976. The 1972 Five Nations Championship was not completed due to the Troubles in Northern Ireland when Scotland and Wales refused to play their Five Nations away fixtures in Ireland. England played in Dublin in 1973 and were given a standing ovation lasting five minutes. After losing 18–9 at Lansdowne Road, the England captain, John Pullin famously stated, "We might not be very good but at least we turned up."[34]

England started the following decade with a Grand Slam victory in the 1980 Five Nations – their first for 23 years.[35] However in the 1983 Five Nations Championship, England failed to win a game and picked up the wooden spoon.[36] In the first Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, England were grouped in pool A alongside Australia, Japan and the United States. England lost their first game 19–6 against Australia. They went on to defeat Japan and the United States, and met Wales in their quarter-final, losing the match 16–3.[37]

In 1989, England won matches against Romania and Fiji, followed by victories in their first three Five Nations games of 1990. They lost to Scotland in their last game however, giving Scotland a Grand Slam. England recovered in the following year by winning their first Grand Slam since 1980. England hosted the 1991 World Cup and were in pool A, along with the All Blacks, Italy and the United States. Although they lost to the All Blacks in pool play, they qualified for a quarter-final going on to defeat France 19–10. England then defeated Scotland 9–6 to secure a place in the final against Australia which they lost 12–6.[38]

The next year, England completed another Grand Slam and did not lose that year, including a victory over the Springboks. In the lead up to the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, England completed another Grand Slam – their third in five years. In the World Cup, England defeated Argentina, Italy and Samoa in pool play and then defeated Australia 25–22 in their quarter-final. England's semi-final was dominated by the All Blacks and featured four tries, now worth five points each, by Jonah Lomu; England lost 45–29.[39] They then lost the third-place play-off match against France.[40]

Professional era

[edit]

England won their 20th Triple Crown title in 1997, but came second in the championship after a narrow 23–20 defeat against France at Twickenham. Sir Clive Woodward replaced Jack Rowell as the England head coach later that year. On 6 December 1997, England drew 26–26 with New Zealand at Twickenham, after being heavily defeated (29–11) by South Africa at the same venue the week before and by New Zealand (25–8) in Manchester two weeks previously. In 1998, England toured Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; many of the experienced players were unavailable for what was to become nicknamed the "Tour from Hell" during which England lost all of their matches including a punishing 76–0 defeat by the Wallabies.[41][42] In the last Five Nations match on 11 April 1999, with England poised to win the championship, Welsh centre Scott Gibbs sliced through six English tackles to score a try in the last minute, and the ensuing conversion by Neil Jenkins handed the final Five Nations title to Scotland.[citation needed]

Celebrations at Trafalgar Square after England's 2003 World Cup victory

England commenced the new millennium by winning the inaugural Six Nations Championship, although they lost their last match to Scotland.[43] They successfully defended their title the following year, but missed out on the Grand Slam by losing 20–14 to Ireland in a postponed match at Lansdowne Road.[44] Although France won the 2002 Six Nations Championship, England defeated the other Home Nations teams to win the Triple Crown.[45] In 2002, England beat Argentina 26–18 in Buenos Aires,[46] and in the Autumn internationals they defeated New Zealand 31–28,[47] Australia 32–31,[48] and South Africa 53–3 at Twickenham.[49] At the 2003 Six Nations Championship, England won the Grand Slam for the first time since 1995,[citation needed] followed by wins over Australia and the All Blacks on their June summer tour.[citation needed]

Going into the 2003 World Cup as one of the tournament favourites,[50] England reached the final on 22 November 2003 against host Australia. The game went into extra time with the score tied at 14–14; after one penalty apiece and with just seconds to spare, a match-winning drop goal by fly-half Jonny Wilkinson brought the final score to 20–17, making England rugby world champions for the first time. Not only was this England's first Rugby World Cup victory, but it was the nation's first world cup since the England national football team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. On 8 December, the England team were greeted by 750,000 supporters on a victory parade through London before meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.[51]

The England national squad training for the 2007 Rugby World Cup at the University of Bath

England finished third in the 2004 Six Nations Championship after losing their matches to both France and Ireland.[52] Clive Woodward resigned as head coach on 2 September and Andy Robinson was appointed to replace him.[53] Robinson's first Six Nations campaign in 2005 resulted in fourth place for England,[54] and although they defeated Australia 26–16 at Twickenham in the Autumn internationals,[55] this was followed by a 23–19 loss to the All Blacks.[56]

A 25–14 loss to South Africa in the 2006 Autumn internationals[57] was England's eighth defeat in nine test matches, their worst losing streak. Andy Robinson resigned as head coach after this run, and attack coach Brian Ashton was appointed as his replacement in December.[58] England started the 2007 Six Nations Championship with a Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland.[59] That year's championship included a historic match at Croke Park which England lost 43–13, their heaviest defeat against Ireland.[60]

At the 2007 World Cup, England were grouped in Pool A with Samoa, Tonga, South Africa, and the United States. They progressed to the knockout stage despite a heavy 36–0 loss to South Africa, and narrowly defeated Australia 12–10 in the quarter-finals. England then faced hosts France in the semi-finals and triumphed 14–9 to qualify for the final, where they were subjected to a second defeat by the Springboks at this World Cup, losing the match 15–6. England followed up their World Cup disappointment with two consecutive second-place finishes in the Six Nations Championship, behind Wales (2008) and Ireland (2009). Former England team captain Martin Johnson took up the job of head coach in July 2008 but, unable to replicate his on-field success in the management role, he resigned in November 2011 following a miserable Rugby World Cup which featured a series of on- and off-field controversies and ended in quarter-final defeat by France.[citation needed]

In March 2012, the Rugby Football Union appointed Stuart Lancaster, the former Elite Rugby Director at Leeds Carnegie, as England's head coach.[61] He had previously been employed in the position on a short-term basis, assisted by existing forwards coach Graham Rowntree, and Andy Farrell. Lancaster was considered a success in his first campaign as head coach: defending champions England took second place in the 2012 Six Nations Championship after losing 19–12 to Wales at Twickenham, but successfully defended the Calcutta Cup by defeating Scotland 13–6 at Murrayfield. England finished the year on a high when they beat World Cup holders New Zealand 38–21 at Twickenham in the Autumn internationals; the England team dominated the match and completely outplayed the All Blacks, who had been unbeaten in 20 matches.[62]

At the 2013 Six Nations Championship, England again finished in second place behind Wales, and were deprived of the opportunity to win the Grand Slam for the first time since 2003 when defeated by Wales in Cardiff 30–3. It was the first time since 1974 that every team in the Six Nations managed to win at least three competition points (the equivalent of a win and a draw, or three draws). However, England retained the Calcutta Cup by defeating Scotland 38–18 at Twickenham. Lancaster took an experimental side on a summer tour of Argentina in 2013; after beating a South American select XV on 2 June, England achieved a 2–0 series victory over Argentina, their first away series win against the Pumas for 32 years.[63]

In 2015, England hosted the Rugby World Cup, but were eliminated in the pool stage.[64] Despite this setback, and following the appointment of new head coach Eddie Jones, England won the Grand Slam in the 2016 Six Nations Championship, and remained unbeaten for the whole of 2016, including a series whitewash of Australia in Sydney. They went on to equal the world record of 18 consecutive test wins with an impressive 61–21 victory over Scotland in securing the 2017 Six Nations Championship.[citation needed]

2018 began well for England, seeing off a spirited challenge from Italy 46–15, and winning a tight contest against Wales 12–6 in the first two rounds of the Six Nations. However, it wasn't until June before England recorded another win, as the team lost their remaining games against Scotland (25–13), France (22–16) and eventual Grand Slam winners Ireland (24–15) at home at Twickenham. A non-test loss against the Barbarians (63–45) followed.[65]

On their summer tour of South Africa, England lost the first two matches 42–39 and 23–12, after leading both early in the first half, before winning the third test 25–10 against a mostly second-string Springbok side. That autumn, after adding former New Zealand and United States coach John Mitchell to the coaching setup, England won the return match against South Africa by a single point at 12–11, and lost an equally close contest with New Zealand 16–15, both in controversial circumstances.[66][67] England rounded out the year with wins over Japan (35–15) and Australia (37–18). The win over Australia continued an unbroken run of victories over the Wallabies under former Australia coach Eddie Jones.[citation needed]

England finished second in the 2019 Six Nations Championship having lost to Wales in Cardiff and drawn 38-38 with Scotland at Twickenham after leading 31-0. In the 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches they defeated Wales 33-19 at Twickenham before losing 13-6 in Cardiff. They then recorded their largest win over Ireland with a 57-15 victory at Twickenham before defeating Italy 37-0 at St James' Park. In the 2019 Rugby World Cup, England became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals following a 39-10 win over Argentina in Chōfu. After their final match was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis, England topped Pool C and faced Australia in the quarter-finals. England won the quarter-final 40-16, recording a seventh successive victory over Australia in the Wallabies' largest-ever Rugby World Cup defeat. England then defeated New Zealand in the semi-final, equalling their largest Rugby World Cup defeat with a 19-7 victory in which the All Blacks were kept scoreless for 57 minutes. On 2 November 2019, England were defeated 12-32 by South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.

In the 2020 Six Nations Championship, England were defeated 24-17 in their opening game against France in Paris before recording victories against Scotland at Murrayfield and Ireland and Wales at Twickenham. The tournament was then halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed with the matches played in empty stadia in October. In the postponed matches, England recorded a bonus point win over Italy in Rome before France's defeat of Ireland by eight points meant that England won the championship on points difference. Due to the pandemic, the scheduled 2020 Autumn Internationals were replaced by the Autumn Nations Cup. England defeated Georgia, Wales and Ireland before facing France in the final match, winning 22-19 after extra time at Twickenham to secure the tournament.

England finished fifth in the 2021 Six Nations Championship, beating France and Italy but losing to all three home nations for the first time since 1976 and conceding defeat to Scotland at Twickenham for the first time since 1983. In the 2021 autumn internationals England played three matches at Twickenham. They secured a 69-3 victory over Tonga, recorded their eighth successive victory against Australia and defeated world champions South Africa 27-26.

England finished third in the 2022 Six Nations Championship after defeating Italy and Wales but losing to Ireland, France and Scotland.

England ended fourth in the 2023 Six Nations Championship. England defeated Italy (31-14) and Wales (10-20) but was beaten by Scotland (23-29), France (10-53) and Ireland (29-16).

Home stadium

[edit]
Main article: Twickenham Stadium
Aerial view of Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham before a match in November 2012

Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby stadium in the world. In the early years, the English rugby team used a number of venues in several different locations around England before settling at Twickenham Stadium in 1910. After sell-out matches at Crystal Palace against New Zealand in 1905 and South Africa in 1906, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) decided to invest in their own ground and arranged for sportsman and entrepreneur Billy Williams to find a home ground for English Rugby. The land for the ground was purchased in 1907 for £5,572 12s and 6d, and construction began the following year.[68]

The first international match at Twickenham took place on 15 January 1910 between England and Wales. The home team ran out winners 11–6, beating Wales for the first time since 1898.[69] The stadium was expanded in 1927 and again in 1932, but there were no further upgrades until 1981 when a new South stand was built[70] and the 1990s when new North, East and West stands were built;[68] the South stand was replaced in 2005 and 2006 to make the stadium into a complete bowl. England played their first test match at the redeveloped Twickenham on 5 November 2006 against the All Blacks,[71] who won the match 41–20, dominating the England team in front of a record crowd of 82,076.[72]

The pitch at Twickenham was replaced in June 2012 with a hybrid 'Desso' type, which uses artificial fibres entwined with real grass. This type of pitch surface is particularly hard wearing in wet conditions.[73]

England home matches outside Twickenham

[edit]

Although England have played home matches almost exclusively at Twickenham since 1910, they have occasionally used alternative English venues. England home matches have been hosted at Leicester's Welford Road (1923), London's Wembley Stadium (1992), Old Trafford (1997 and 2009), Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium (twice in 1998),[74] Manchester's Etihad Stadium (2015), and St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne (2019).

Date Team Result Venue Ref.
2nd December 1905 New Zealand New Zealand 0–15 Crystal Palace, London [75]
10 February 1923 Ireland Ireland 23–5 Welford Road, Leicester [76]
17 October 1992 Canada Canada 26–13 Wembley Stadium, London [77]
22 November 1997 New Zealand New Zealand 8–25 Old Trafford, Manchester [78]
14 November 1998 Netherlands Netherlands 110–0 McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield [79]
22 November 1998 Italy Italy 23–15 McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield [79]
6 June 2009 Argentina Argentina 37–15 Old Trafford, Manchester[a] [78]
10 October 2015 Uruguay Uruguay 60–3 Etihad Stadium, Manchester[b] [80]
6 September 2019 Italy Italy 37–0 St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne [81]

a The first of a two-test series, this match was originally scheduled to be held in Argentina but moved by the Argentine Rugby Union for financial reasons.[82]
b This was a Pool A match at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

England also played a Five Nations match against Wales at Wembley Stadium on 11 April 1999. Wales was the "home team" on this occasion because Wembley was being used as a temporary base while their new stadium in Cardiff was being constructed. Wales won the match 32–31.[83][84]

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

[edit]
Main article: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is commonly sung at England fixtures – especially at Twickenham. In the last match of the 1988 season, against Ireland, three of England's tries were scored by Chris Oti. A group of boys from the Benedictine school Douai, following a tradition at their school games, sang the song on his final try, and other spectators around the ground joined in.[85][86] Since then "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" became a song to sing at England home games.[87] In 1991, the RFU marketing director Mike Coley for the team to launch a song leading up to that year's Rugby World Cup. He had wanted to use "Jerusalem", but it was used in the Rugby League Challenge Cup final that year, so the song was changed at short notice to "Swing Low".[citation needed] There were a number of versions recorded and the version released did reach the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart during the competition.[88]

Playing kit

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to England national rugby union team kits.
Tom Palmer wearing the traditional white England shirt at the 2011 World Cup

England rugby union players typically wear all-white jerseys and white shorts, with predominantly navy blue socks. The emblem on the jerseys is a red rose. As of July 2023, the strip is manufactured by Umbro and the shirt sponsor is O2. The away strip is usually red or dark grey (described as "anthracite");[89] prior to the introduction of the grey strip, red was the traditional change colour. Navy blue has also been used in the past and was reintroduced for the 2016–17 and 2020–21 seasons.[90] Purple was used during the 2009 autumn internationals, reflecting the traditional colour of the original England tracksuits from the 1960s until the 1980s.[91] The away strip was black for the first time during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. About that kit, the RFU stated that they had requested approval from the New Zealand Union, which said "it has no qualms with England wearing the strip".[92]

The red rose has been the emblem of England since the first international v Scotland in 1871

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) had created the national side's emblem prior to an English team being sent to Edinburgh to play a Scottish side. A red rose was chosen to be the side's emblem.[93] The white kit worn by the national team was taken from the kit used at Rugby School.[93] Alfred Wright, an employee of the Rugby Football Union, is credited with the standardisation and new design of the rose, which up until 1920 had undergone many variations in its depiction.[93] The Wright design is thought to have been used without minor alteration until the late 1990s.[93] It was not until 1997 that the rose was modernised,[94] when Nike became the official strip supplier (with the stem section of the rose being green rather than brown as previously).[95]

In 2003, England first used a skin-tight strip. This was intended to make it more difficult for the opposition to grasp the shirt when tackling.[96]

Kit providers

[edit]
Year Kit manufacturer Main shirt sponsor
1960s England Lillywhites[97] —
1970s–1983 England Umbro[98] —
1984–1990 England Bukta —
1991–1997 England Cotton Traders BT Cellnet (1996–June 2002)
1997–2012 United States Nike O2 (June 2002–present)
2012–2020 New Zealand Canterbury[99]
2020–present England Umbro[100][101]

Performances

[edit]

Six Nations

[edit]

England competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which is played against five other European nations: France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The Six Nations started out as the Home Nations Championship in 1883 which England won with a Triple Crown. England have won the title outright 29 times (a record for the tournament) and shared victory ten times. Their longest wait between championships was 18 years (1892–1910). During the Six Nations, England also contests the Calcutta Cup with Scotland (which England first won in 1880) and the Millennium Trophy with Ireland (which England first won in 1988). The matches between England and France are traditionally known as "Le Crunch".

 
England
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
Tournaments 128 95 130 25 130 130
Outright wins (shared wins)
Home Nations 5 (4) — 4 (3) — 9 (2) 7 (3)
Five Nations 17 (6) 12 (8) 6 (5) — 5 (6) 15 (8)
Six Nations 7 6 6 0 0 6
Overall 29 (10) 18 (8) 16 (8) 0 (0) 14 (8) 28 (11)
Grand Slams
Home Nations — — — — — 2[102]
Five Nations 11 6 1 — 3 6
Six Nations 2 4 3 0 0 4
Overall 13 10 4 0 3 12
Triple Crowns
Home Nations 5 — 2 — 7 6
Five Nations 16 — 4 — 3 11
Six Nations 5 — 7 — 0 5
Overall 26 — 13 — 10 22
Wooden Spoons
Home Nations 7 — 10 — 5 6
Five Nations 10 12 15 — 15 10
Six Nations 0 1 0 18 4 2
Overall 17 13 25 18 24 18

Note: England are the only team to have won more than two successive grand slams, on more than one occasion, doing so in 1913–1914, 1923–1924 and 1991–1992; while Wales and France the only other teams to have done so twice, in 1908–1909 for Wales and 1997–1998 for France.

Test series victories

[edit]
See also: List of England national rugby union team Test Series

England have previously played one or more series against these nations, but have never won an overall test series against them:

Rugby World Cup

[edit]
Main article: England at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup record Qualification
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Head coach Pos Pld W D L PF PA
New Zealand Australia 1987 Quarter–finals 4 2 0 2 103 48 Squad M. Green Invited
England France Ireland Scotland Wales 1991 Runners–up 6 4 0 2 119 61 Squad G. Cooke Automatically qualified
South Africa 1995 Fourth place 6 4 0 2 158 146 Squad J. Rowell Automatically qualified
Wales 1999 Quarter–finals 5 3 0 2 250 115 Squad C. Woodward 1st 2 2 0 0 133 15
Australia 2003 Champions 7 7 0 0 327 88 Squad C. Woodward Automatically qualified
France 2007 Runners–up 7 5 0 2 140 122 Squad B. Ashton Automatically qualified
New Zealand 2011 Quarter–finals 5 4 0 1 149 53 Squad M. Johnson Automatically qualified
England 2015 Pool stage 4 2 0 2 133 75 Squad S. Lancaster Automatically qualified
Japan 2019 Runners–up 6 5 0 1 190 75 Squad E. Jones Automatically qualified
France 2023 Third place 7 6 0 1 221 102 Squad S. Borthwick Automatically qualified
Australia 2027 Automatically qualified
United States 2031 To be determined
Total — 57 42 0 15 1790 885 — — — 2 2 0 0 133 15
  •   Champions
  •   Runners–up
  •   Third place
  •   Fourth place
  •   Home venue
See also: List of England national rugby union team tours and series and List of England national rugby union team matches

England have contested every Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987, reaching the final four times and winning the title in 2003.

In the inaugural tournament, England finished second in their pool before losing to Wales in the quarter-finals. They again finished pool runners-up in 1991 but recovered to beat France in the quarter-finals, and then Scotland in the semi-finals, en route to a 12–6 final defeat to Australia at Twickenham on 2 November 1991.

In 1995, England topped their pool and defeated Australia 25–22 at the quarter-final stage before being beaten by the All Blacks in the semi-final. Their third-place play-off match against France was lost 19–9.

In the 1999 tournament, England again finished second in their pool. Although they proceeded to win a play-off game against Fiji, they went out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, losing 44–21 to South Africa.

England came top of their pool in 2003 and progressed to the final, beating Wales and France in the quarter- and semi-finals. With a drop goal in the last minute of extra time, England won the final 20–17 against Australia in Sydney on 22 November 2003.

England made a poor start to their defence of the World Cup in 2007, with a below par victory over the United States and a heavy 36–0 defeat to South Africa, leaving the title holders on the brink of elimination at the pool stage. Improved performances against Samoa and Tonga ensured that England again reached the knockout stage as pool runners-up, before a surprise 12–10 defeat of Australia in the quarter-finals followed by a narrow 14–9 victory over the host nation carried England to a second successive final appearance. In the final, held in Paris on 20 October, England lost 15–6 to South Africa, their second defeat by the Springboks during the 2007 tournament.

England reached the quarter-final stage in 2011, losing 19–12 to France.

In 2015, England became the first sole host nation to fail to qualify for the knockout stage, after losing to Wales and Australia in the pool stage.

In 2019, England finished top of their pool before defeating Australia and New Zealand in the knockout stage. On 2 November 2019, they suffered a 32–12 final defeat to South Africa in Yokohama, becoming World Cup runners-up for the third time.

England's Jonny Wilkinson is the highest points scorer in the Rugby World Cup, having scored 277 points between 1999 and 2011. England have the fourth most points and the fourth most tries scored in the Rugby World Cup.

Recent results

[edit]

The following is a list of England's recent match results, as well as upcoming scheduled fixtures, during the 12 months up to and including February 2025:

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming

3 February 2024 Italy  24–27  England Italy Stadio Olimpico, Rome  
15:15 CET (UTC+1) Try: A. Garbisi 10' c
Allan 25' c
Ioane 80+4' c
Con: Allan (2/2) 12', 26'
P. Garbisi (1/1) 80+5'
Pen: Allan (1/2) 4'
 Report Try: Daly 19' m
Mitchell 44' c
Con: Ford (1/2) 45'
Pen: Ford (5/5) 15', 32', 37', 53', 66'
 Attendance: 57,000
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
10 February 2024 England  16–14  Wales England Twickenham Stadium, London  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Earl 19' m
Dingwall 62' m
Pen: Ford (2/2) 47', 71'
 Report Try: Penalty try 16'
Mann 37' c
Con: Lloyd (1/1) 38'
 Attendance: 81,596
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
24 February 2024 Scotland  30–21  England Scotland Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Van der Merwe (3) 19' c, 29' c, 44' c
Con: Russell (3/3) 20', 30', 46'
Pen: Russell (3/3) 34', 56', 65'
 Report Try: Furbank 4' c
Feyi-Waboso 66' m
Con: Ford (1/1) 6'
Pen: Ford (2/2) 14', 49'
Drop: Ford (1/1) 35'
 Attendance: 67,144
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
9 March 2024 England  23–22  Ireland England Twickenham Stadium, London  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Lawrence 4' m
Furbank 48' m
Earl 60' c
Con: M. Smith (1/1) 61'
Pen: Ford (1/2) 17'
Drop: M. Smith (1/1) 80+1'
 Report Try: Lowe (2) 44' m, 73' m
Pen: Crowley (4/4) 3', 20', 35', 40+1'
 Attendance: 81,686
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
16 March 2024 France  33–31  England France Groupama Stadium, Décines-Charpieu  
21:00 CET (UTC+1) Try: Le Garrec 20' c
Barré 56' c
Fickou 60' c
Con: Ramos (3/3) 21', 57', 61'
Pen: Ramos (4/5) 17', 31', 35', 79'
 Report Try: Lawrence (2) 40+1' c, 42' c
M. Smith 45' c
Freeman 75' c
Con: Ford (4/4) 40+2', 43', 47', 76'
Pen: Ford (1/1) 11'
 Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
22 June 2024 Japan  17–52  England Japan Japan National Stadium, Tokyo  
14:50 JST (UTC+09) Try: Nezuka 66' c
Yamasawa 69' c
Con: Matsuda (2/2) 67', 70'
Pen: Lee (1/1) 3'
 Report Try: Cunningham-South 14' c
M. Smith 25' c
Feyi-Waboso 29' c
Slade 40+2' m
Mitchell 43' c
Earl 50' m
Randall 58' c
Underhill 77' c
Con: M. Smith (4/6) 15', 26', 30', 44'
Slade (2/2) 59', 78'
 Attendance: 44,029
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
6 July 2024 New Zealand  16–15  England New Zealand Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin  
19:05 NZST (UTC+12) Try: Reece 16' m
Savea 25' m
Pen: McKenzie (2/3) 55', 66'
 Report Try: Itoje 21' c
Feyi-Waboso 48' m
Con: M. Smith (1/2) 22'
Pen: M. Smith (1/3) 40+4'
 Attendance: 28,483
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
13 July 2024 New Zealand  24–17  England New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland  
19:05 NZST (UTC+12) Try: Tele'a (2) 11' c, 61' m
Con: McKenzie (1/2) 13'
Pen: McKenzie (4/4) 20', 38', 69', 75'
 Report Try: Feyi-Waboso 14' c
Freeman 40+1' c
Con: M. Smith (2/2) 15', 40+2'
Pen: M. Smith (1/1) 49'
 Attendance: 48,362
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
2 November 2024 England  22–24  New Zealand England Allianz Stadium, London  
15:10 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Feyi-Waboso 43' c
Con: M. Smith (1/1) 45'
Pen: M. Smith (5/5) 4', 12', 30', 36', 59'
 Report Try: Tele'a (2) 8' c, 75' c
Jordan 27' c
Con: B. Barrett (2/2) 9', 28'
McKenzie (1/1) 76'
Pen: McKenzie (1/1) 66'
 Attendance: 82,000
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
9 November 2024 England  37–42  Australia England Allianz Stadium, London  
15:10 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Cunningham-South (2) 4' m, 11' c
Sleightholme (2) 56' m, 67' c
Itoje 77' c
Con: M. Smith (3/5) 12', 68', 78'
Pen: M. Smith (2/2) 19', 30'
 Report Try: Wright 26' c
Wilson 33' c
Williams 49' m
Kellaway 74' c
Jorgensen 80+3' c
Con: Lolesio (2/3) 27', 34'
Donaldson (2/2) 75', 80+4'
Pen: Lolesio (3/3) 9', 40+1', 52'
 Attendance: 81,329
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
16 November 2024 England  20–29  South Africa England Allianz Stadium, London  
17:40 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Sleightholme 3' c
Underhill 25' c
Con: M. Smith (2/2) 4', 26'
Pen: M. Smith (2/2) 15', 51'
 Report Try: Williams 10' c
Du Toit 16' m
Kolbe (2) 21' c, 62' c
Con: Libbok (2/3) 11', 22'
Pollard (1/1) 63'
Pen: Pollard (1/1) 58'
 Attendance: 81,910
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
24 November 2024 England  59–14  Japan England Allianz Stadium, London  
16:10 GMT (UTC+0) Try: Earl 8' c
Underhill 13' c
George (2) 22' c, 30' c
Sleightholme 36' c
Furbank 53' m
Cowan-Dickie (2) 59' m, 64' c
Roebuck 68' c
Con: M. Smith (7/9) 9', 14', 23', 31', 37', 65', 69'
 Report Try: Saitō 33' c
Himeno 61' c
Con: Saitō (1/1) 33'
Matsunaga (1/1) 62'
 Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
1 February 2025 Ireland  v  England Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0)
8 February 2025 England  v  France England Allianz Stadium, London  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0)
22 February 2025 England  v  Scotland England Allianz Stadium, London  
16:45 GMT (UTC+0)

Overall

[edit]
Main article: List of England national rugby union team matches
Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 20 as of 25 November 2024[103]
Rank Change[i] Team Points
1 Steady  South Africa 092.78
2 Steady  Ireland 090.78
3 Steady  New Zealand 090.36
4 Steady  France 088.51
5 Steady  Argentina 084.97
6 Steady  Scotland 083.34
7 Steady  England 082.31
8 Steady  Australia 081.52
9 Steady  Fiji 080.07
10 Steady  Italy 078.64
11 Steady  Wales 074.01
12 Steady  Georgia 073.85
13 Steady  Japan 072.95
14 Steady  Samoa 072.68
15 Steady  United States 070.02
16 Steady  Portugal 068.82
17 Increase1  Uruguay 067.06
18 Decrease1  Spain 065.98
19 Steady  Tonga 065.46
20 Steady  Romania 063.01
21 Steady  Chile 061.72
22 Steady  Hong Kong 059.49
23 Steady  Canada 059.18
24 Steady  Netherlands 058.56
25 Steady  Russia 058.06
26 Steady  Namibia 057.87
27 Steady  Zimbabwe 057.16
28 Steady  Brazil 056.53
29 Steady  Belgium 056.51
30 Steady   Switzerland 056.04
  1. ^ Change from the previous week
England's historical rankings
See or edit source data.
Source: World Rugby[103]
Graph updated to 25 November 2024

When the World Rugby Rankings were first introduced in early September 2003, England were ranked 1st; they fell to 2nd for a week in November 2003 before regaining 1st place. They again dropped to 2nd in the rankings, and then to 3rd, from mid-June 2004. Following the 2005 Six Nations, they fell to 6th in the world rankings, where they remained until moving up to 5th place in December of that year. After a decline in form in 2006, England finished the year ranked 7th; however, they bounced back to 3rd in 2007 due to their good run in that year's World Cup, where they finished runners-up.

Their ranking slipped again in 2008 and during the 2009 Six Nations they dropped to their lowest ranking of 8th, where they remained for the duration of the 2009 autumn internationals. After a brief resurgence that saw them rise to a ranking of 4th in the world, England again slipped following a poor showing at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and were ranked 6th in February 2012. The team entered the 2015 Rugby World Cup ranked 4th, but after failing to progress beyond the pool stage, England again sank to 8th in the world in November 2015. In March 2016, after securing the Grand Slam in the 2016 Six Nations, England rose to second place, where they remained the following year after winning the 2017 Six Nations. A poor fifth-place performance in the 2018 Six Nations saw them fall to sixth place.

In October 2019, England defeated New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to top the World Rugby Rankings for the first time since 2004.[104] After losing the final to South Africa, England were ranked third. In November 2020, they regained second place following New Zealand's loss to Argentina.

During the 2021 Six Nations, a fifth place finish saw England fall from second to third after defeats to Scotland, Wales and Ireland. After Australia won 5 matches in a row during the 2021 Rugby Championship, England fell to fourth until defeats of Australia and South Africa in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series saw them regain third place.

During the 2022 Six Nations, England again suffered three defeats to Scotland, Ireland and France and fell from third to fifth.

England entered the 2023 Six Nations in fifth, but defeats to Scotland, France and Ireland again saw them fall to sixth.

During the 2023 World Cup warm-ups, England suffered further defeats away to Ireland and Wales and a first ever home lost to Fiji to enter the 2023 World Cup in eighth. A third placed finish at the 2023 Rugby World Cup saw England rise to fifth.

During the 2024 Six Nations, England retained fifth positions despite away defeats against Scotland and France.

England have won 444 of their 800 Test Matches, with a winning record of 55.5%. Below is a summary table of capped England matches up to 16 November 2024. Only fixtures recognised as test matches by the RFU are included.

Opponent Pld W D L Win % PF PA PD
 Argentina 27 21 1 5 77.78% 730 436 294
 Australia 56 28 1 27 50% 1,067 1,197 −130
 Canada 7 7 0 0 100.00% 343 87 256
 Chile 1 1 0 0 100.00% 71 0 71
 Fiji 9 8 0 1 88.89% 355 163 192
 France 111 60 7 44 54.05% 1,795 1,490 305
 Georgia 3 3 0 0 100.00% 165 16 149
 Ireland 142 81 8 53 56.74% 1,763 1,314 449
 Italy 31 31 0 0 100.00% 1,224 380 844
 Japan 5 5 0 0 100.00% 233 64 169
 Netherlands 1 1 0 0 100.00% 110 0 110
 New Zealand 46 8 2 36 17.39% 673 1,081 −408
 New Zealand Natives 1 1 0 0 100.00% 7 0 7
 Pacific Islanders 1 1 0 0 100.00% 39 13 26
 Presidents XV 1 0 0 1 0.00% 11 28 −17
 Romania 5 5 0 0 100.00% 335 24 311
 Samoa 9 9 0 0 100.00% 310 131 179
 Scotland 142 76 19 47 53.52% 1,754 1,321 433
 South Africa 47 16 2 29 34.04% 804 1,017 −213
 Tonga 4 4 0 0 100.00% 241 36 205
 United States 7 7 0 0 100.00% 341 88 253
 Uruguay 2 2 0 0 100.00% 171 16 155
 Wales 142 69 12 61 48.59% 1,926 1,783 143
Total 800 444 52 304 55.5% 14,468 10,685 +3,783

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

On 16 October 2024, head coach Steve Borthwick named a 36-player squad for England's autumn test matches against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.[105]

On 28 October 2024, Ollie Chessum and Charlie Ewels withdrew from the squad due to a knee injury and concussion protocols, respectively, while Tom Roebuck was released back to his club. They were replaced by Alex Coles, George Ford and Ted Hill.[106]

On 3 November 2024, Joe Marler withdrew from the squad after announcing his retirement from international rugby. He was replaced by Asher Opoku-Fordjour.[107]

Caps Updated: 24 November 2024

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Luke Cowan-Dickie Hooker (1993-06-20) 20 June 1993 (age 31) 44 England Sale Sharks
Theo Dan Hooker (2000-12-26) 26 December 2000 (age 23) 16 England Saracens
Jamie George (c) Hooker (1990-10-20) 20 October 1990 (age 34) 97 England Saracens
Fin Baxter Prop (2002-02-12) 12 February 2002 (age 22) 6 England Harlequins
Dan Cole Prop (1987-05-09) 9 May 1987 (age 37) 118 England Leicester Tigers
Trevor Davison Prop (1992-08-20) 20 August 1992 (age 32) 2 England Northampton Saints
Ellis Genge (vc) Prop (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995 (age 29) 62 England Bristol Bears
Asher Opoku-Fordjour Prop (2004-07-16) 16 July 2004 (age 20) 1 England Sale Sharks
Will Stuart Prop (1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 28) 45 England Bath
Alex Coles Lock (1999-09-21) 21 September 1999 (age 25) 7 England Northampton Saints
Charlie Ewels Lock (1995-06-29) 29 June 1995 (age 29) 30 England Bath
Nick Isiekwe Lock (1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 26) 15 England Saracens
Maro Itoje (vc) Lock (1994-10-28) 28 October 1994 (age 30) 88 England Saracens
George Martin Lock (2001-06-18) 18 June 2001 (age 23) 19 England Leicester Tigers
Chandler Cunningham-South Back row (2003-03-18) 18 March 2003 (age 21) 11 England Harlequins
Ben Curry Back row (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 26) 6 England Sale Sharks
Tom Curry Back row (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 26) 56 England Sale Sharks
Alex Dombrandt Back row (1997-04-29) 29 April 1997 (age 27) 20 England Harlequins
Ben Earl (vc) Back row (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 26) 37 England Saracens
Ted Hill Back row (1999-03-26) 26 March 1999 (age 25) 2 England Bath
Sam Underhill Back row (1996-07-22) 22 July 1996 (age 28) 40 England Bath
Harry Randall Scrum-half (1997-12-18) 18 December 1997 (age 26) 11 England Bristol Bears
Ben Spencer Scrum-half (1992-07-31) 31 July 1992 (age 32) 8 England Bath
Jack van Poortvliet Scrum-half (2001-05-15) 15 May 2001 (age 23) 16 England Leicester Tigers
George Ford (vc) Fly-half (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 (age 31) 98 England Sale Sharks
Fin Smith Fly-half (2002-05-11) 11 May 2002 (age 22) 6 England Northampton Saints
Marcus Smith Fly-half (1999-02-14) 14 February 1999 (age 25) 39 England Harlequins
Ollie Lawrence Centre (1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 (age 25) 31 England Bath
Alex Lozowski Centre (1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 31) 5 England Saracens
Luke Northmore Centre (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 27) 0 England Harlequins
Henry Slade Centre (1993-03-19) 19 March 1993 (age 31) 70 England Exeter Chiefs
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso Wing (2002-12-20) 20 December 2002 (age 21) 8 England Exeter Chiefs
Tommy Freeman Wing (2001-03-05) 5 March 2001 (age 23) 16 England Northampton Saints
Ollie Sleightholme Wing (2000-04-13) 13 April 2000 (age 24) 5 England Northampton Saints
Elliot Daly Fullback (1992-10-08) 8 October 1992 (age 32) 69 England Saracens
George Furbank Fullback (1996-10-17) 17 October 1996 (age 28) 14 England Northampton Saints
Freddie Steward Fullback (2000-12-05) 5 December 2000 (age 23) 35 England Leicester Tigers

Contracted players

[edit]

On 25 October 2024, the RFU announced 17 England players had been awarded Enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts.[108]

Enhanced EPS Contracted Players

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Full-backs

Notable players

[edit]
See also: List of England national rugby union players

Five former England representatives have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame: Bill Beaumont, Martin Johnson, Jason Leonard, Wavell Wakefield and Jonny Wilkinson.[109][110]

Seven former England internationals are also members of the IRB Hall of Fame. Four of them – Johnson,[111] Alan Rotherham, Harry Vassall[112] and Robert Seddon[113] – were inducted for their accomplishments as players. Two other former England players, John Kendall-Carpenter and Clive Woodward, were inducted into the IRB Hall for non-playing accomplishments in the sport.[111] Another former England player, Alfred St. George Hamersley, was inducted for achievements as both a player and a rugby administrator.[114]

Individual records

[edit]

World Rugby Awards

[edit]

The following England players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:[115]

World Rugby Try of the Year
Year Date Scorer Match Tournament Ref
2010 13 November Chris Ashton vs. Australia Autumn Internationals [116]

Six Nations Player of the Championship

[edit]

The following England players have been shortlisted for the Six Nations Player of the Championship since 2004:[117]

Six Nations Team of the Championship
Year Forwards Backs Refs
No. Players No. Players
2022 4. Maro Itoje — [118]
2024 8. Ben Earl [119]

Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year

[edit]

The following players have been voted as the RPA England Player of the Year since 2013:[120]

Statistical leaders

[edit]
Main article: List of England national rugby union team records

Summary

[edit]
As of 24 November 2024[136]

Players active at international level as of November 2024 are listed in bold italics.

Coaches

[edit]

Current coaching staff

[edit]

The following table outlines the current England senior coaching team, as of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.[137][138]

Nationality Name Role
England England Steve Borthwick Head Coach / Lineout Coach
England England Richard Wigglesworth Attack Coach
England England Joe El-Abd Defence Coach
England England Kevin Sinfield Skills & Kicking Coach
England England Tom Harrison Scrum Coach
Ireland Ireland Dan Tobin Strength & Conditioning Coach
England England Richard Hill Team Manager
New Zealand New Zealand Andrew Strawbridge Coaching Consultant
England England Jonny Wilkinson Kicking Consultant

History of head coaches

[edit]
Main page: Category:England national rugby union team coaches

The following is a list of all England head coaches. The first appointed coach was Don White in 1969. The most recent former coach was Eddie Jones.[139] Jones took over from Stuart Lancaster a week after the latter's resignation, and he became the first foreigner to coach the English national side. Jones' winning percentage of 73% is the highest of any England coach.[140][141][142][143][144]

Updated to: 24 November 2024

Name Tenure Tests Won Drew Lost Win Percentage
England Don White 20 December 1969 – 17 April 1971[33] 11 3 1 7 027.3
England John Elders 18 October 1971 – 16 March 1974[145] 16 6 1 9 037.5
England John Burgess 18 January 1975 – 31 May 1975 6 1 0 5 016.7
England Peter Colston 3 January 1976 – 17 March 1979 18 6 1 11 033.3
England Mike Davis 24 November 1979 – 6 March 1982 16 10 2 4 062.5
England Dick Greenwood 15 January 1983 – 20 April 1985 17 4 2 11 023.5
England Martin Green 1 June 1985 – 8 June 1987 14 5 0 9 035.7
England Geoff Cooke 16 January 1988 – 19 March 1994 50 36 1 13 072.0
England Jack Rowell 4 June 1994[146] – 31 August 1997[147] 29 21 0 8 072.4
England Sir Clive Woodward 15 November 1997[148] – 2 September 2004[149] 83 59 2 22 071.1
England Andy Robinson 15 October 2004[150] – 29 November 2006[151] 22 9 0 13 040.9
England Brian Ashton 20 December 2006[152] – 1 June 2008[153] 22 12 0 10 054.5
England Rob Andrew[a] 1 June 2008 – 30 June 2008[154] 2 0 0 2 000.0
England Martin Johnson 1 July 2008[154] – 16 November 2011[155] 38 21 1 16 055.3
England Stuart Lancaster 8 December 2011[156] – 11 November 2015[157] 46 28 1 17 060.9
Australia Eddie Jones 20 November 2015[158] – 6 December 2022[159] 81 59 2 20 072.8
England Steve Borthwick 19 December 2022 – present[160] 28 14 0 14 050.0

a Rob Andrew coached the team for the 2008 summer tests in New Zealand in Martin Johnson's absence.

Note 1: Richard Cockerill served briefly as interim head coach in December 2022, between the dismissal of Eddie Jones and appointment of Steve Borthwick. No test matches were played during his tenure.[161]

Note 2: Between September 2015 and March 2017, England won 18 test matches in a row – equalling the record for a top tier nation – 17 of which occurred under Eddie Jones.[162]

World Rugby Coach of the Year

[edit]

The following former England head coaches have been nominated for and won the World Rugby Coach of the Year award since its inception in 2001:[115][163][164][165]

Year Nationality Nominee Winner
2003 England England Sir Clive Woodward Sir Clive Woodward
2016 Australia Australia Eddie Jones —
2017 Eddie Jones
2019 —

Former assistant coaches

[edit]

The following names represent a list of previous assistant coaches for the England men's senior squad:[166][167][168][169][170]

Club versus country

[edit]
England versus New Zealand in 2006.

Although the England team is governed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), players have been contracted to their clubs since the advent of professionalism in late 1995. Since then, players have often been caught in a "power struggle" between their clubs and the RFU; this is commonly referred to as a "club versus country" conflict.[171] The first major dispute between England's top clubs (who play in the English Premiership) and the RFU occurred in 1998, when some of the clubs refused to release players to tour Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.[172] The tour became known as the "Tour from hell" after an England squad of second-string players were defeated in all four Tests, including a 76–0 defeat by Australia.[173] The clubs also withdrew from the 1998–99 Heineken Cup.[174]

In 2001, the top clubs and the RFU formed "England Rugby" to help govern the club and international game. The parties agreed to restrict the number of matches at club and international level that elite players (a group of 50 or 60 players selected by the RFU) could play in order to reduce player burnout and injuries.[175] In return for releasing players from club commitments, the clubs were to receive compensation from the RFU. This agreement was considered central to the England victory in the 2003 World Cup. Clive Woodward, England coach from November 1997, resigned in 2004 because he was unable to get the access to the players that he wanted: "I wanted more from the union – more training days with the players, more influence over the way they were treated – and ended up with less."[176] Andy Robinson, Woodward's successor, blamed the lack of control over players for his team's unsuccessful record.[177] Brian Ashton, who took over from Robinson, intentionally named his playing squad for Six Nations matches in 2007 early in the hope that their clubs would not play them in the weekend prior to a Test.[178] The RFU and the Premiership clubs are negotiating a similar deal to the one in 2001 that will enable international players to be released into the England squad prior to international matches.[179]

Training

[edit]

Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, is the chosen training base for the team in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Loughborough University, Bisham Abbey and the University of Bath grounds served as training bases prior to this agreement. Martin Johnson noted the hotel's facilities and its proximity to Twickenham and Heathrow as deciding factors in this decision.[180] The team had their own pitchside gym and fitness rooms constructed on the hotel premises at the start of the long-term arrangement. Since its completion in 2010 the team also regularly use Surrey Sports Park at the University of Surrey in nearby Guildford for much of their training.[181]

Media coverage

[edit]

England's summer internationals are televised live on Sky Sports,[182] while their autumn internationals are televised live by TNT Sports.[183] Highlights of the autumn tests are currently not shown by a free-to-air broadcaster. As of 2024, all Six Nations games are broadcast free-to-air on the BBC and ITV.[184]

See also

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Bowker, Barry (1978). England Rugby. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-30214-7.
  • Collins, Tony (2009). A Social History of English Rugby Union. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-47660-7.
  • Farmer, Stuart (2006). The Official England Rugby Miscellany. Vision Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905326-12-9.
  • Morgan, Michael (2002). "Optimizing the structure of elite competitions in professional sport – lessons from Rugby Union". Managing Leisure. 7: 41–60. doi:10.1080/13606710110117023. S2CID 153521834.
  • Palenski, Ron (2003). Century in Black – 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby. Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86958-937-0.
  • Tuck, Jason (2003). "The Men in White: Reflections on Rugby Union, the Media and Englishness". International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 38 (2): 177–199. doi:10.1177/1012690203038002003. S2CID 143294820.

References

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