Steve Borthwick fears his sons could one day play for England’s rivals

The England head coach has previously revealed the strong Australian influence inside the Borthwick household, with sons Hunter and Chase both eligible to represent the Wallabies through their mother, Beth.

Borthwick has been in charge of England since replacing Eddie Jones in December 2022 and is now preparing his side for this year’s Nations Championship.

Before moving into coaching, Borthwick enjoyed a standout playing career with both Bath and Saracens.

The former second row won 57 England caps during a nine-year international career and captained his country on 21 occasions before moving into coaching.

He later joined Eddie Jones’ England setup as forwards coach, helping guide the side to multiple Six Nations titles before eventually taking over as head coach.

Despite his strong England connections, Borthwick admitted Australia may already have an edge when it comes to the loyalties of his children.

Speaking previously, the England boss shared a funny story involving eldest son Hunter.

“Hunter came running towards me carrying a ball in his hand. I thought: ‘He’s going to give me this great big hug, it’s going to be a heartwarming moment.’

“Instead he ran straight past me, dived on the floor on the far side of the living room and said: ‘I just scored the winning try, Daddy.’

“One problem was I missed out on my hug. The other was he was wearing a Wallabies shirt. His mother’s to blame for that.”

While England supporters would love to see the Borthwick boys follow their father into the Red Rose setup one day, their Australian heritage means the Wallabies could yet benefit instead.

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