Braking his silence on the issue, England captain Owen Farrell believes the Rugby Football Union's decision to sack Eddie Jones as head coach was "unbelievably disappointing".
In the interim, Richard Cockerill will take over the day to day running of the men’s performance team.
During his time in charge Jones steered England to three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam in 2016, two series wins in Australia, an unbeaten run of 18 matches, an Autumn Nations Cup, and a Rugby World Cup final in Japan.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Farrell said: "Eddie had been a big part of England Rugby for a long time now and he has been one of the best coaches I have ever had so, for that, I'm massively thankful.
"We are disappointed it has finished early and we owe a lot to him. I have been around for a while now and not been around too many changes, both at club and international level. It's not pleasant to go through.
"I don't think it has come from the players. There is obviously stuff we all want to get better at from the results but as players you look at yourself and see what you can do."
Asked if he'd spoke to Jones since his sacking, Farrell wrote: "We have exchanged a few messages and hopefully I will see him."
England boss winning %:
- Sir Clive Woodward – 71 per cent
- Andy Robinson – 41 per cent
- Brian Ashton – 55 per cent
- Martin Johnson – 53 per cent
- Stuart Lancaster – 61 per cent
- Eddie Jones – 73 per cent
Huge pay-off:
Sources suggest the Aussie will receive between £700,000 and £800,000 pay-out. To land Borthwick would require a payout in the region of £200,000 to get Tigers to release him from his current contract.
“Farrell finished” – How England could line-up under incoming coach Steve Borthwick
Back-three:
- 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
- 14. Ollie Hassell-Collins (London Irish)
- 11. Adam Radwan (Newcastle Falcons)
Freddie Steward of England is tackled by Ardie Savea of New Zealand during the Autumn International Series match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, London on 19 November 2022 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
Centres:
- 13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
- 12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath)
Try Celebrations for Henry Slade of England as he goes over for a try during the Autumn Nations International Series match between England and South Africa at Twickenham, London on 26 November 2022 (Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
Halfbacks:
- 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
- 9. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
Marcus Smith of England warms up before the Autumn International Series match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, London on 19 November 2022 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
Front-row:
- 1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears) - Captain
- 2. George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons)
- 3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears)
Ellis Genge of England Rugby is tackled by Will Rowlands of Wales during the Six Nations Championship match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on February 26th 2021. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Second-row:
- 4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
- 5. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Woodward wants Maro Itoje back in the second-row
Back-row:
- 6. Ben Earl (Saracens)
- 7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
- 8. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl of Saracens applauds supporters the Gallagher Premiership match between Saracens and London Irish at The StoneX Stadium, Hendon, London on November 6 2021. - PHOTO: Micah Crook/PPAUK
