Steve Borthwick is refusing to allow speculation he will soon be the England coach to distract him from the job at hand with Leicester.
The Tigers boss said he would ‘love to give clarity’ amid ongoing talk he will soon be filling the vacant England job but said he was unable to do so as he remained tight-lipped about his future.
Borthwick is the red-hot favourite to succeed his former mentor Eddie Jones, who was sacked last week as a poor autumn campaign capped England’s worst year of results since 2008.
The 43-year-old served as forwards coach for both Japan and England under Jones before guiding Tigers to the Premiership title last season.
Faced with further questioning about what his immediate future holds, former England captain Borthwick insisted his sole focus is preparing for Saturday’s Champions Cup clash against Clermont Auvergne at Welford Road.
‘I know I’m coaching here this weekend against Clermont on Saturday,’ he replied when asked if he was able to rule himself out of contention for the England role. ‘And that’s what I am working towards. I’d love to give you clarity of everything going forward. Unfortunately I can’t.
‘For me, all I do is try to concentrate on giving the best for this team and these players that I care for deeply. I will try and coach them to the best level I can.’
Forwards coach Richard Cockerill is officially caretaker boss for England and bookies list him as a distant second favourite to take the job permanently, but Borthwick is widely expected to be in place soon.
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