Shaun Edwards says Steve Borthwick rejected his offer to join England's coaching staff for next year's Rugby World Cup. Edwards, 60, told Rugby Union Weekly that he offered to take any role within the set-up, but Borthwick said he was satisfied with his existing staff.
"He said he was happy with his staff and the way things have been going, and I respected him for that," Edwards said after describing his conversation with Borthwick as honest.
Edwards left his position with France earlier this year and briefly worked with England's women's team. He has since agreed to work with Argentina until the end of the tournament.
The former rugby league international is one of the most decorated defence coaches in the sport. During a 12-year spell with Wales, he won three Six Nations Grand Slams, while he later helped France secure three Six Nations titles. With Wasps, he won two Champions Cups and four English titles, initially as defence coach before becoming head coach.
England's current backroom structure is already in place for Australia 2027, with Richard Wigglesworth responsible for defence and support from Byron McGuigan and Joe El-Abd. Edwards has previously been linked with England, including approaches from the Rugby Football Union in 2006 and 2008 and informal discussions with chief executive Bill Sweeney in 2021.
England have experienced inconsistent form over the past two years. Their 12-Test winning run ended against Scotland in February, followed by five consecutive defeats, although they most recently defeated Fiji and Argentina. They are scheduled to face Australia, Japan, New Zealand and a Nations Championship play-off on successive weekends through November.
Edwards also reflected on his short spell with England's women's team, particularly their 26-19 victory over New Zealand. England made just seven entries into the opposition 22 compared with New Zealand's 15, but Zoe Harrison scored a last-play try to secure the win.
"The team made 310 tackles against New Zealand and we only conceded 19 points. That is probably the biggest stat I've ever been involved with in my whole career," Edwards said.
He added that the relaxed matchday atmosphere around the Red Roses contrasted with the more tense approach he had seen among men's teams, suggesting that a calmer build-up could be beneficial.
Edwards, who was also linked with Fiji before Jake White took the job, said he was surprised that his experience had not yet resulted in a head coach role with a Test team. He believed he had been a serious contender for the Wales position when Warren Gatland left in 2019, but the role went to Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac.
"I thought I might have got the Wales job when Warren decided to leave, but then I went on to something which I'd always wanted to do - which is to help France," Edwards said.
Sources: BBC Sport.