"On the ropes" - Steve Borthwick's future has already been decided before World Cup

This is primarily because the Rugby Football Union (RFU) is currently unable to afford the substantial £3 million payout required to terminate his contract.

The prospect of dismissing Borthwick and his coaching staff in the event of a disappointing World Cup campaign is a costly one, potentially reaching a staggering £3 million.

Given the significant expenses already incurred, such as the £500,000 compensation paid to Leicester to acquire Borthwick's services and the approximately £1.4 million severance package for former coach Eddie Jones, there is a notable reluctance within the RFU to part ways with Borthwick. The financial burden of such a decision is simply too substantial to bear.

‘After paying Leicester something like £500,000 compensation to get Borthwick last year, on top of huge severance [pay of about £1.4m] for [former coach] Eddie Jones, there’s no appetite to sack Borthwick,’ one high-ranking source told the Mail Online.

‘It would be too expensive.’ Another source said: ‘The RFU is on the ropes financially. They are expecting to suffer huge losses over the next couple of years.’ 

Subscribe for breaking rugby news, competitions and much, much more...

Interestingly, despite these financial constraints, the RFU is offering its players potentially larger bonuses for success at the World Cup than any other governing body.

In the unlikely event that England emerges victorious in France, each player stands to receive a considerable RFU bonus of approximately £212,000.

This figure surpasses the bonuses offered by other federations, with the French team expected to receive around £172,000 per player for a victory, while New Zealand and Australia's players could see bonuses of up to £100,000 from their respective federations in case of triumph.

Presented below is the comprehensive list, starting from the 100th spot and culminating at the first position.

100. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)

99. Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)

98. Franco Mostert (South Africa)

97. Paul Alo-Emile (Samoa)

96. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)

95 Juan Martín González (Argentina)

94. Jasper Wiese (South Africa)

93. Damian Willemse (South Africa)

92. Mark Telea (New Zealand)

91. Faf de Klerk (South Africa)

90. Handré Pollard (South Africa)

89. James Lowe (Ireland)

88. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland)

87. Paul Willemse (France)

86. Shannon Frizell (New Zealand)

85. Freddie Steward (England)

They wrote: "The best England player to emerge in this four-year cycle, without question. Steward has come a long way from having to ditch a shift in Costa to turn out for Leicester in the Premiership Rugby Cup, to becoming England’s specialist diffuser under the high ball at full-back while hoovering up a number of awards. The potential is enormous, and he should thrive at his first World Cup."

84. Thibaud Flament (France)

83. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)

82. Matthieu Jalibert (France)

81.. Jac Morgan (Wales)

80 Jack Conan (Ireland)

79. Danilo Fischetti (Italy)

78. Ange Capuozzo (Italy)

77. Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)

76. Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina)

75. Darcy Graham (Scotland)

74. Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales)

73. Damian McKenzie (New Zealand)

72. Ellis Genge (England)

They wrote: "England have over-relied on his excellent ball-carrying in recent years – having him return kicks against France in 2022 – and his scrummaging, largely very good, can be first-class. Not forgetting his leadership abilities either, held in high regard by this England group as vice-captain."

71. Paolo Garbisi (Italy)

70. Bundee Aki (Ireland)

69. Uini Atonio (France)

68. Mateo Carreras (Argentina)

67. Andrew Porter (Ireland)

66. Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)

65. Ethan de Groot (New Zealand)

64 Anthony Jelonch (France)

63. Owen Farrell (England)

They wrote: "Even if you are someone who has never been fully convinced, it is difficult to argue with Farrell’s placing given the season he has just had – arguably his greatest ever on an individual level, showing an array of fly-half skills that fans might not have realised he possessed. Undeniably, his latest ban has put England in a very awkward spot."

62. Theo McFarland (Samoa)

61. Samisoni Tauke’iaho (New Zealand)

60. Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji)

59. UJ Seuteni (Samoa)

58. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)

57. Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa)

56. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)

55. Maro Itoje (England)

They wrote: "One of the game’s great competitors. Detractors might proffer that Itoje’s strengths have been figured out and neutralised by opponents, but he merits a place for his consistency here if nothing else. A born winner, his performances never drop below eight out of ten. In the court of public opinion, he is arguably a victim of his own early-career success."

54. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)

53. Siya Kolisi (South Africa)

52. Codie Taylor (New Zealand)

51. Lu khanyo Am (South Africa)

50. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

49. Davit Niniashvili (Georgia)

48. Mack Hansen (Ireland)

47. Taniela Tupou (Australia)

46. Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)

45. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)

44. Marika Koroibete (Australia)

43. Charles Ollivon (France)

42. Cyril Baille (France)

41. Gabin Villière (France)

40. Jordie Barrett (New Zealand)

39. Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)

38. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

37. Emmanuel Meafou (Uncapped)

36. Finn Russell (Scotland)

35. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)

34. Josua Tuisova (Fiji)

33. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (New Zealand)

32. Jack Willis (England)

They Wrote: "A lurching rollercoaster of a year has brought Willis to this juncture, where he is the highest-ranked England player on our list. That does not guarantee him a spot in Steve Borthwick’s starting side, of course. Just last autumn, following the demise of Wasps, Willis was battling for a spot in the 23. Moving to Toulouse, where he was integral to a title run, looks to have sharpened his link play to complement elite jackalling skills."

31. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)

30. Scott Barrett (New Zealand)

29. Marcos Kremer (Argentina)

28. Willie le Roux (South Africa)

27. Romain Ntamack (France)

26. Josh van der Flier (Ireland)

25. Frans Malherbe (South Africa)

24. Pablo Matera (Argentina)

23. Julián Montoya (Argentina)

22. Gaël Fickou (France)

21. Garry Ringrose (Ireland)

20. Will Jordan (New Zealand)

19. Steven Kitshoff (South Africa)

18. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

17. Samu Kerevi (Australia)

16. Thomas Ramos (France)

15. Levani Botia (Fiji)

14. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)

13. Julien Marchand (France)

12. James Ryan (Ireland)

11. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)

10. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)

9. Damian Penaud (France)

8. Jonathan Danty (France)

7. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)

6. Will Skelton (Australia)

5. Caelan Doris (Ireland)

4. Grégory Alldritt (France)

3. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

2 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

1. Antoine Dupont (France)