England national rugby union team

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:About Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox national rugby team The England national rugby union team represents the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 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 0–1 to Scotland. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship (now the Six Nations Championship) 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. They progressed to the final in the second tournament in 1991, but lost to the eventual champions Australia. Following their Grand Slam in 2003, England went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup, defeating Australia in extra time. They contested the final again in 2007 in defence of their title but lost to South Africa. They reached the final for the fourth time in 2019, but lost to South Africa.

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 RFU. Five former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. One of them is also a member of the IRB Hall of Fame. Seven other former players are members of the IRB Hall of Fame, 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. They have been branched in many different squads since the start of England Rugby, such as junior teams and women's teams.

History

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Early years

File:England 1871 first.jpg

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.<ref name="OriginsoRugby">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="ShortHist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Scotland won the match by one goal and a try to England's one unconverted try,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Lewis">Template:Cite book</ref> in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.<ref name="Rugby1870s">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="First3Games">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="5Feb1872">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Lewis"/> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1875, England played their first game against Ireland at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil;<ref name="Lewis"/> this was Ireland's first test match.<ref name="15feb1875">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="IreFirstGames">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup.<ref name="28Feb1880">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Timelines1880s">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardson's Field in Blackheath,<ref name="Timelines1880s"/><ref name="19Feb1881">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where England recorded their largest victory, winning by seven goals, six tries, and one drop goal to nil,<ref name="Lewis"/> and scoring 13 tries in the process.<ref name="19Feb1881"/> 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.<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="16Dec1882">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two years later, England emerged as the inaugural winners at the first Home Nations championship.<ref name="SixNationsWinners">Template:Cite news</ref> 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<ref name="NativeTour1888">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NZNativesMatches">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> by one goal and four tries to nil.<ref name="Lewis"/> England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland in 1890.<ref name="RugbyHist6N">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="ABGame79">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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;<ref name="Darkie Peters">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="1900s">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:England vs allblacks Gillett 1905.jpg

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,<ref name="SNHiistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> this despite having started 1925 with an 17–11 loss to the "Invincibles" in front of 60,000 fans at Twickenham.<ref name="Invincibles">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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,<ref name="SNHisBBC">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="ABGame311">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Polanski38-19">Polanski (2003), pp. 38–39.</ref>

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.<ref name="SNHiistory"/> 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.<ref name="SNHiistory"/> 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.<ref name="RugbyData22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref name="GuardianObit"/> His first match in charge was an 11–8 victory over South Africa at Twickenham in 1969.Template: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.Template: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."<ref name="TurnedUp">Template:Cite news</ref>

England started the following decade with a Grand Slam victory in the 1980 Five Nations – their first for 23 years.<ref name="1980GS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However in the 1983 Five Nations Championship, England failed to win a game and picked up the wooden spoon.<ref name="WoodenSpoon">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="1987RWC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="1991RWC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="ABGame992">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They then lost the third-place play-off match against France.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Professional era

England won their 20th Triple Crown title in 1997, but came second in the 1997 Five Nations Championship after a narrow defeat to France at Twickenham. Sir Clive Woodward replaced Jack Rowell as the England head coach later that year. On 6 December 1997, England drew with New Zealand at Twickenham, after being heavily defeated by South Africa at the same venue the week before and by New Zealand 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 defeat by the Wallabies.<ref name="Times_TFH">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="BBC_TFH">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed

File:England world cup.jpg

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.<ref name="2000SN">Template:Cite news</ref> They successfully defended their title the following year, but missed out on the Grand Slam by losing (14–20) to Ireland in a postponed match at Lansdowne Road.<ref name="2001SN">Template:Cite news</ref> Although France won the 2002 Six Nations Championship, England defeated the other Home Nations teams to win the Triple Crown.<ref name="2002SN">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2002, England beat Argentina (26–18) in Buenos Aires,<ref name="Argentina2002">Template:Cite news</ref> and in the Autumn internationals they defeated New Zealand (31–28),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Australia (32–31),<ref name="Aust2002">Template:Cite news</ref> and South Africa (53–3) at Twickenham.<ref name="SA2002">Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2003 Six Nations Championship, England won the Grand Slam for the first time since 1995,Template:Citation needed followed by wins over Australia and the All Blacks on their June summer tour.Template:Citation needed

Going into the 2003 World Cup as one of the tournament favourites,<ref name="RWC03Favourites">Template:Cite news</ref> 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 title 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.<ref name="bigcrowd">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:England rugby training at bath arp.jpg

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.<ref name="2004SN">Template:Cite news</ref> Clive Woodward resigned as head coach on 2 September and Andy Robinson was appointed to replace him.<ref name="WoodResign">Template:Cite news</ref> Robinson's first Six Nations campaign in 2005 resulted in fourth place for England,<ref name="2005SNTables">Template:Cite news</ref> and although they defeated Australia at Twickenham in the Autumn internationals,<ref name="AustEng051112">Template:Cite news</ref> this was followed by a loss to the All Blacks.<ref name="ABEng051119">Template:Cite news</ref>

A loss to South Africa in the 2006 Autumn internationals<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="AshtonCoach">Template:Cite news</ref> England started the 2007 Six Nations Championship with a Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland.<ref name="EngSco1-07">Template:Cite news</ref> That year's championship included a historic match at Croke Park which England lost (13–43), their heaviest defeat against Ireland.<ref name="RecordIreLoss">Template:Cite news</ref>

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 36–0 loss to South Africa, and narrowly defeated Australia 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.Template: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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 to Wales at Twickenham, but successfully defended the Calcutta Cup by defeating Scotland at Murrayfield. England finished the year on a high when they beat World Cup holders New Zealand 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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 they were defeated 30–3 by Wales in Cardiff. 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 at Twickenham. Lancaster took an experimental side on a summer tour of Argentina in 2013; after beating a South American XV on 2 June, England achieved a 2–0 series victory over Argentina, their first away series win against the Pumas for 32 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2015, England hosted the Rugby World Cup, but were eliminated in the pool stage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 a 61–21 victory over Scotland in securing the 2017 Six Nations Championship.Template:Citation needed

2018 began well for England, seeing off a spirited challenge from Italy, and winning a tight contest against Wales in the first two rounds of the Six Nations. However, it was not until June before England recorded another win, as the team lost their remaining games against Scotland, France and eventual Grand Slam winners Ireland at home in Twickenham. On their summer tour of South Africa, England lost the first two matches, before winning the third test 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, and lost an equally close contest with New Zealand, both in controversial circumstances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> England rounded out the year with wins over Japan and Australia. The win over Australia continued an unbroken run of victories over the Wallabies under former Australia coach Eddie Jones.Template:Citation needed

England finished second in the 2019 Six Nations Championship. They beat Ireland, France, Italy but lost to Wales and drew 38–38 with Scotland after leading 31–0. In the 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches they defeated Wales at Twickenham before losing in Cardiff. They then recorded their largest win over Ireland with a 57–15 victory at Twickenham before defeating Italy at St James' Park. In the 2019 Rugby World Cup, England became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals following a 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, recording a seventh consecutive victory over Australia which resulted in the Wallabies largest ever Rugby World Cup defeat. England then defeated New Zealand in the semi-final, equalling New Zealands largest Rugby World Cup defeat with a 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 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 stadiums in October. In the postponed matches, England recorded a bonus point win over Italy in Rome before France defeated Ireland by eight points which 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 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 victory over Tonga, recorded their 8th consecutive victory over Australia (32–15) and also beat the current World Champions South Africa (27–26).

England finished third in the 2022 Six Nations Championship after defeating Italy and Wales but lost Ireland, France and Scotland. In the 2022 tour of Australia, England faced the Wallabies in a three-test series. They lost the first test match in Perth, but won the last two test matches in Brisbane, and in Sydney to win the test series 2–1. In the 2022 Autumn Internationals they lost to Argentina, beat Japan, drew with New Zealand, and lost to South Africa.

England finished fourth in the 2023 Six Nations Championship. England defeated Italy and Wales but was beaten by Scotland, France and Ireland. At the 2023 Rugby World Cup, England beat Argentina, Japan, Chile, and Samoa to go undefeated in the pool stage. In the quarter-final, they defeated Fiji before losing to the eventual champions South Africa in the semi-final. They ended their campaign with a win over Argentina in the bronze final to finish the tournament in third place.

England finished third in the 2024 Six Nations Championship. They defeated Italy, Wales and Ireland, but lost to Scotland and France. In the 2024 English tour of New Zealand, England faced the All Blacks in a two-test series. They were defeated in both test matches in Dunedin and in Auckland. In the 2024 Autumn Internationals, England lost to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, but won against Japan.

Home stadium

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File:Stade de Twickenham à Londres.jpg

Aerial view of Twickenham Stadium

File:Twickenham Rugby Pitch - England vs Australia.png

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.<ref name="Twickenhamhist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The first international test match at Twickenham took place on the 15th of January 1910 between England and Wales. The home team won (11–6), beating Wales for the first time since 1898.<ref name="FirstTest">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the 1990s when new North, East and West stands were built;<ref name="Twickenhamhist"/> 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 the 5th of November 2006 against the All Blacks,<ref name="CeleMatch">Template:Cite news</ref> losing the test match (20–41), in front of a record crowd of 82,076.<ref name="RuthlessABs">Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

England home matches outside Twickenham

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),<ref name="Huddersfield">Template:Cite news</ref> Manchester's Etihad Stadium (2015), and St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne (2019).

Date	Team	Result	Venue	Template:Abbr
2nd December 1905	Template:Flagicon New Zealand	0–15	Crystal Palace, London	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
10 February 1923	Template:Flagicon Ireland	23–5	Welford Road, Leicester	<ref name=rugbydataWelfordRoad>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
17 October 1992	Template:Flagicon Canada	26–13	Wembley Stadium, London	<ref name=rugbydataWembleyStadium>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
22 November 1997	Template:Flagicon New Zealand	8–25	Old Trafford, Manchester	<ref name=rugbydataOldTrafford>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
14 November 1998	Template:Flagicon Netherlands	110–0	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield	<ref name=rugbydataMcAlpineStadium>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
22 November 1998	Template:Flagicon Italy	23–15	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield	<ref name=rugbydataMcAlpineStadium />
6 June 2009	Template:Flagicon Argentina	37–15	Old Trafford, ManchesterTemplate:Ref label	<ref name=rugbydataOldTrafford />
10 October 2015	Template:Flagicon Uruguay	60–3	Etihad Stadium, ManchesterTemplate:Ref label	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
6 September 2019	Template:Flagicon Italy	37–0	St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Note labelThe 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Note labelThis 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).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} "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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SwingLow2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since then "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" became a song to sing at England home games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1991, the RFU marketing director Mike Coley wanted 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".Template: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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Playing kit

File:Tom Palmer 2011 cropped.jpg

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");<ref>Umbro And England Rugby Unveil 2022/23 Home & Alternative Kits at Umbro, 26 Aug 2022</ref> 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.<ref>England rugby reveal navy blue alternate kit for autumn Test series match with Fiji on The Telegraph, 31 Aug 2016</ref> Purple was used during the 2009 autumn internationals, reflecting the traditional colour of the original England tracksuits from the 1960s until the 1980s.<ref>Purple reign: England rugby fans sold on alternative away kit at The Guardian, 2 Dec 2009</ref> 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".<ref>RFU gets green light for England to wear all-black kit at World Cup at The Guardian</ref>

File:England rugby shirt rose 1871.svg

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.<ref name="rose">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The white kit worn by the national team was taken from the kit used at Rugby School.<ref name="rose"/> 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.<ref name="rose"/> The Wright design is thought to have been used without minor alteration until the late 1990s.<ref name="rose"/> It was not until 1997 that the rose was modernised,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> when Nike became the official strip supplier (with the stem section of the rose being green rather than brown as previously).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="TightStrip">Template:Cite news</ref>

Kit providers

Year	Kit manufacturer	Main shirt sponsor
1960s	Template:Flagicon Lillywhites<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> ||align=center| —
1970s–1983	Template:Flagicon Umbro<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> ||align=center| —
1984–1990	Template:Flagicon Bukta	—
1991–1997	Template:Flagicon Cotton Traders	BT Cellnet (1996–June 2002)
1997–2012	Template:Flagicon Nike<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	O2 (June 2002–present)
2012–2020	Template:Flagicon Canterbury<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2020–2025	Template:Flagicon Umbro<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation		CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2025-present	Template:Flagicon Castore

Performances

Six Nations

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". Template:Six Nations wins 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

• Template:Ru – 2016, 2022
• Template:Ru – 1981, 2002, 2013, 2017
• Template:Ru – 1971, 1979
• Template:Ru – 1973, 1989, 1991
• Template:Ru – 2001
• Template:Ru – 2001
• Template:Ru – 1989
• Template:Ru – 1971

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

• Template:Ru
• Template:Ru

Rugby World Cup

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:England Rugby World Cup record Template:See also England have contested every Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987, reaching the final four times and winning the title in the 2003 tournament.

In the inaugural tournament, England finished second in their pool before losing to Wales (3–16) in the quarter-finals. They again finished pool runners-up in 1991 but bounced back to beat France (19–10) in the quarter-finals, and then Scotland (9–6) in the semi-finals, en route to a (6–12) defeat to Australia in the final 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 (29–45) in the semi-finals. They lost their bronze medal match (9–19) to France.

In the 1999 tournament, England again finished second in their pool. Although they proceeded to win a play-off game against Fiji (45–24), they went out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, losing (21–44) to South Africa.

England topped their pool in 2003 and progressed to the playoffs. They beat Wales (28–17) and France (24–7) 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 title defence in 2007, with a below par victory over the United States and a heavy (0–36) 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. They defeated Australia (12–10) in the quarter-finals, and beat France (14–9) in the semi-finals. The victory over France gave England the chance to play in their 2nd consecutive final. In the final, held in Paris on 20 October, England lost (6–15) to South Africa, their second defeat by the Springboks during the 2007 tournament.

England topped their pool in 2011. They reached the quarter-finals but were defeated (12–19) to France.

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

In 2019, England topped their pool. They defeated Australia (40–19) and New Zealand (19–7) in the knockout stage. On 2 November 2019, they suffered a (12–32) defeat to South Africa in the final in Yokohama, becoming World Cup runners-up for the third time in their history.

In 2023, England topped their pool. They defeated Fiji in the quarter-finals (30–24) before losing to the eventual champions South Africa (15–16) in the semi-finals. They beat Argentina in the bronze medal match (26–23) to finish the tournament in 3rd place.

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

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 November 2025:

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Overall

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:World Rugby Rankings 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 loss 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 position despite away defeats against Scotland and France.

Players

Current squad

On 14 January 2025, England head coach Steve Borthwick named a 36-player squad for the 2025 Six Nations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

⁽¹⁾ On 21 January 2025, Arthur Clark, Curtis Langdon, Henry Pollock, Raffi Quirke and Ben Spencer were added to the training squad as injury cover.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

⁽²⁾ On 4 February 2025, Alex Lozowski was called up to the squad, ahead of the second round fixture against France.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

⁽³⁾ On 16 February 2025, Alex Coles and Alex Dombrandt were called up to the squad, ahead of the third round fixture against Scotland.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

⁽⁴⁾ On 10 March 2025, Max Ojomoh was called up to the squad, ahead of the fifth round fixture against Wales.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Caps Updated to: 15 March 2025

Contracted players

On 25 October 2024, the RFU announced 17 England players had been awarded Enhanced Elite Player Squad (EPS) contracts.<ref name="Contracted players">Template:Cite news</ref>

Enhanced EPS Contracted Players
Props Ellis Genge Hookers Theo Dan Jamie George Locks Ollie Chessum Maro Itoje George Martin	Back row Tom Curry Ben Earl Scrum-halves Alex Mitchell Fly-halves George Ford Fin Smith Marcus Smith	Centres Ollie Lawrence Henry Slade Wings Immanuel Feyi-Waboso Tommy Freeman Full-backs George Furbank

Notable players

Template:See also 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.<ref name="IRHFList">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=IRHF2007>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Seven former England internationals are also members of the IRB Hall of Fame. Four of them – Johnson,<ref name="IRB Hall October 2011">Template:Cite press release</ref> Alan Rotherham, Harry Vassall<ref name="Rotherham-Vassall">Template:Cite press release</ref> and Robert Seddon<ref name="2013 IRB HOF">Template:Cite press release</ref> – 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.<ref name="IRB Hall October 2011"/> Another former England player, Alfred St. George Hamersley, was inducted for achievements as both a player and a rugby administrator.<ref name=Hamersley>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Individual records

World Rugby Awards

The following England players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:<ref name="World Rugby Award winners">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

World Rugby Player of the Year

Year	Nominees	Winners
2001	Jonny Wilkinson	—
2002	Jason Robinson
2003	Steve Thompson	Jonny Wilkinson
	Jonny Wilkinson (2)
2009	Tom Croft	—
2012	Owen Farrell
2016	Owen Farrell (2)
	Maro Itoje
	Billy Vunipola
2017	Owen Farrell (3)
	Maro Itoje (2)
2019	Tom Curry
2021	Maro Itoje (3)

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year

Year	Nominees	Winners
2016	Maro Itoje	Maro Itoje
2019	Joe Cokanasiga	—
2021	Marcus Smith
2022	Henry Arundell
2024	Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

World Rugby Dream Team of the Year

Year	Template:Abbr	Players
2021	4.	Maro Itoje
2022	1.	Ellis Genge
	15.	Freddie Steward

World Rugby Try of the Year

Year	Date	Scorer	Match	Tournament	Template:Abbr
2010	13 November	Chris Ashton	vs. Australia	Autumn Internationals	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Six Nations Player of the Championship

The following England players have been shortlisted for the Six Nations Player of the Championship since 2004:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

Six Nations Player of the Year (2004–13)

Year	Nominees	Winners
2004	Ben Cohen	—
	Lawrence Dallaglio
	Danny Grewcock
2005	Martin Corry
	Josh Lewsey
2006	Martin Corry (2)
	Charlie Hodgson
2007	Josh Lewsey (2)
	Joe Worsley
2009	Delon Armitage
2011	Chris Ashton
	Toby Flood
	James Haskell
	Tom Palmer
2013	Owen Farrell
	Chris Robshaw

Six Nations Player of the Year (2014–19)

Year	Nominees	Winners
2014	Mike Brown	Mike Brown
	Danny Care
	Owen Farrell (2)
	Chris Robshaw (2)
2015	George Ford	—
	Jonathan Joseph
	Billy Vunipola
	Ben Youngs
2016	Jonathan Joseph (2)
	Jack Nowell
	Billy Vunipola (2)
2017	Owen Farrell (3)
	Maro Itoje
	Joe Launchbury
2019	Tom Curry
	Jonny May

Six Nations Player of the Year (2020–)

Year	Nominees	Winners
2020	Maro Itoje (2)	—
	Ben Youngs (2)
2024	Ben Earl
2025	Tommy Freeman

Six Nations Team of the Championship

Year	Forwards		Backs		Total	Template:Abbr
	Template:Abbr	Players	Template:Abbr	Players
2022	4	Maro Itoje	—		1	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2024	8	Ben Earl			1	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2025	3	Will Stuart	10	Fin Smith	5	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	4	Maro Itoje (2)	14.	Tommy Freeman
	6	Tom Curry

Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year

The following players have been voted as the RPA England Player of the Year since 2013:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3

RPA Player of the Year (2013–16)

Year	Winners	Template:Abbr
2013	Joe Launchbury	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2014	Mike Brown	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2015	Jonathan Joseph	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2016	Billy Vunipola	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

RPA Player of the Year (2017–20)

Year	Winners	Template:Abbr
2017	Owen Farrell	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2018	Mako Vunipola	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2019	Jonny May	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2020	Tom Curry	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

RPA Player of the Year (2021–24)

Year	Winners	Template:Abbr
2021	Tom Curry (2)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2022	Freddie Steward	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2023	Freddie Steward (2)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2024	Ben Earl	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Statistical leaders

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

• Ben Youngs holds the record for most appearances for England, with 127 caps – placing him joint 14th all-time in international rugby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Owen Farrell holds the record for most points scored for England, with 1,237 points – placing him second all-time in international rugby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Rory Underwood holds the record for most tries scored for England, with 49 tries – placing him sixth all-time in international rugby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Summary

Template:Updated<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Players active at international level as of March 2025 are listed in bold italics. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

Most Caps

Rank	Player	Caps
1	Ben Youngs	127
2	Dan Cole	118
3	Jason Leonard	114
4	Owen Farrell	112
5	Courtney Lawes	105
6	Danny Care	101
	Jamie George
8	George Ford	99
9	Dylan Hartley	97
10	Joe Marler	95

Most Points

Rank	Player	Points
1	Owen Farrell	1,237
2	Jonny Wilkinson	1,179
3	George Ford	413
4	Paul Grayson	400
5	Rob Andrew	396
6	Marcus Smith	303
7	Toby Flood	301
8	Jonathan Webb	296
9	Charlie Hodgson	269
10	Dusty Hare	240

Most Tries

Rank	Player	Tries
1	Rory Underwood	49
2	Jonny May	36
3	Ben Cohen	31
	Will Greenwood
5	Jeremy Guscott	30
6	Jason Robinson	28
7	Dan Luger	24
8	Anthony Watson	23
9	Josh Lewsey	22
10	Five players tied	20

Coaches

Current coaching staff

The following table outlines the current England senior coaching team, as of the 2025 summer tour to Argentina and the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Current England coaches">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Nationality	Name	Role
Template:Flagicon England	Steve Borthwick	Head Coach / Lineout Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Richard Wigglesworth	Attack Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Lee Blackett	Interim Attack Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Joe El-Abd	Defence Coach
Template:Flagicon Scotland	Byron McGuigan	Assistant Defence Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Kevin Sinfield	Skills & Kicking Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Tom Harrison	Scrum Coach
Template:Flagicon Ireland	Phil Morrow	Head of Team Performance
Template:Flagicon Ireland	Dan Tobin	Strength & Conditioning Coach
Template:Flagicon England	Richard Hill	Team Manager
Template:Flagicon New Zealand	Andrew Strawbridge	Coaching Consultant

History of head coaches

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Updated to: 15 March 2025

Name	Tenure	Tests	Won	Drew	Lost	Win Percentage
Template:Flagicon Don White	20 December 1969 – 17 April 1971<ref name="GuardianObit">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon John Elders	18 October 1971 – 16 March 1974<ref name="Elders Appointed">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon John Burgess	18 January 1975 – 31 May 1975
Template:Flagicon Peter Colston	3 January 1976 – 17 March 1979
Template:Flagicon Mike Davis	24 November 1979 – 6 March 1982
Template:Flagicon Dick Greenwood	15 January 1983 – 20 April 1985
Template:Flagicon Martin Green	1 June 1985 – 8 June 1987
Template:Flagicon Geoff Cooke	16 January 1988 – 19 March 1994<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Jack Rowell	4 June 1994<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – 31 August 1997<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Sir Clive Woodward	15 November 1997<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – 2 September 2004<ref name="WoodwardTenure">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Andy Robinson	15 October 2004<ref name="RobinsonAppointed">Template:Cite news</ref> – 29 November 2006<ref name="RobinsonResigned">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:WDL
Template:Flagicon Brian Ashton	20 December 2006<ref name="Ashton Appointed">Template:Cite news</ref> – 1 June 2008<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Rob AndrewTemplate:Ref label	1 June 2008 – 30 June 2008<ref name="Johnson Appointed">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Martin Johnson	1 July 2008<ref name="Johnson Appointed"/> – 16 November 2011<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Stuart Lancaster	8 December 2011<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – 11 November 2015<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Eddie Jones	20 November 2015<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – 6 December 2022<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Steve Borthwick	19 December 2022 – present<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:Note labelRob Andrew coached the team for the 2008 summer tests in New Zealand in Martin Johnson's absence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

World Rugby Coach of the Year

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:<ref name="World Rugby Award winners"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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

Former assistant coaches

The following names represent a list of previous assistant coaches for the England men's senior squad:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Former coaches appointed to the British & Irish Lions while part of the England coaching staff are listed in bold italics. Template:Div col

• Template:Flagicon Dave Alred
• Template:Flagicon Simon Amor
• Template:Flagicon Jon Callard
• Template:Flagicon Mike Catt
• Template:Flagicon Jon Clarke
• Template:Flagicon Richard Cockerill
• Template:Flagicon Alex Codling
• Template:Flagicon Glen Ella
• Template:Flagicon Nick Evans
• Template:Flagicon Andy Farrell
• Template:Flagicon Mike Ford
• Template:Flagicon Martin Gleeson
• Template:Flagicon Joe Gray
• Template:Flagicon Paul Gustard
• Template:Flagicon Neal Hatley
• Template:Flagicon Brett Hodgson
• Template:Flagicon Felix Jones
• Template:Flagicon Phil Keith-Roach
• Template:Flagicon Danny Kerry
• Template:Flagicon George Kruis
• Template:Flagicon Phil Larder
• Template:Flagicon Joe Lydon
• Template:Flagicon John Mitchell
• Template:Flagicon Phil Pask
• Template:Flagicon Ian Peel
• Template:Flagicon Matt Proudfoot
• Template:Flagicon Dave Reddin
• Template:Flagicon Tony Roques
• Template:Flagicon Graham Rowntree
• Template:Flagicon Jason Ryles
• Template:Flagicon Anthony Seibold
• Template:Flagicon Brian Smith
• Template:Flagicon Paul Stridgeon
• Template:Flagicon Tom Tombleson
• Template:Flagicon Sam Vesty
• Template:Flagicon Aled Walters
• Template:Flagicon John Wells
• Template:Flagicon Jonny Wilkinson
• Template:Flagicon Scott Wisemantel

Club versus country

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.<ref name="Tuck195">Tuck (2003), pg 195.</ref> 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.<ref name="NonRelease98">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Burnt">Template:Cite news</ref> The clubs also withdrew from the 1998–99 Heineken Cup.<ref name="Morgan56">Morgan (2002), pg 56.</ref>

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.<ref name="EnglandRugby2001">Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref name="Woodwardquits">Template:Cite news</ref> Andy Robinson, Woodward's successor, blamed the lack of control over players for his team's unsuccessful record.<ref name="AndyInterview">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="SquadsEarly">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="NewDeal">Template:Cite news</ref>

Training

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Media coverage

England's summer internationals are televised live on Sky Sports,<ref name="Summer test TV rights">Template:Cite news</ref> while their autumn internationals are televised live by TNT Sports.<ref name="Autumn test TV rights">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Six Nations TV rights">Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• England A
• England Sevens
• England Under 20s
• England Under 18s

• England Women
• England Women Sevens
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite journal
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External links

• Template:Official website