Steve Borthwick sends warning to Thomas Tuchel over hopes of delivering success as England manager

England rugby head coach Steve Borthwick has warned Thomas Tuchel that history is not on his side as he bids to guide the Three Lions to World Cup glory.

Tuchel was appointed by the Football Association on Wednesday morning, becoming the third foreign manager in England’s history.

The German has signed an 18-month contract and he has set his sights on winning the World Cup in 2026.

Tuchel, however, would have to buck the trend to do that as no country has won the World Cup in football with a foreign manager in charge.

“First and foremost it is having the best coach for the team that you have,” said Borthwick, when asked if the nationality of a country’s coach mattered.

“Different coaches, different teams. What a team needs at any one point in time is going to be really, really clear.

“What we have also seen is that not too many major trophies have been won by teams coached by a coach from another nation. That is just fact. The key point is, get the right coach. That is the most important thing.”

Borthwick has not met Tuchel, whose appointment coincided with the day England announced their squad for next month’s Autumn Nations Series, but he is eager to pick the brains of the German.

“I have read a lot about him and probably in the last 12 hours read more about him,” he said.

“I would look forward to hopefully having the opportunity at some stage to learn more from him. The players speak really well of him.

“The players are the best judges. You hear them and read what they say, good players say good things about him. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to meet him in the future.”

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