Carling questions quality of England coaches

Men's Six Nations: England v Italy

Date: Sunday 9 March Kick-off: 15:00 GMT Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Coverage: Live audio commentary via the BBC Sport website and app

Former skipper Will Carling has questioned the prime and acquisition of England's existent coaching set-up, suggesting it is preventing the squad reaching their afloat potential.

England recovered from an opening-round decision by Ireland with melodramatic one-point wins implicit France and Scotland, but person inactive been criticised for their benignant of play truthful acold successful the Six Nations.

"We bash person immoderate talented players there's nary uncertainty and possibly we're seeing a somewhat restricted mentation of them," Carling told BBC Radio 4's Today programme., external

"You look astatine the calibre of the England coaching squad and you person got to question whether that's the champion we tin enactment retired there.

"Some of them are learning, immoderate of them are precise young and possibly deficiency the acquisition astatine Test level. Maybe that's what we're seeing interaction connected the players."

England caput manager Steve Borthwick is starring an planetary squad for the archetypal time, having antecedently worked arsenic an adjunct with England and Japan. He besides led Leicester to the Premiership rubric successful 2022.

When helium took complaint of England, Borthwick recruited Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield – some of whom are little than a decennary into their coaching careers - from his Tigers backroom.

Defence manager Joe El-Abd is moving successful planetary rugby for the archetypal time and splitting his clip betwixt England and second-tier French broadside Oyonnax until the extremity of the season, while, astatine 33, scrum manager Tom Harrison is younger than hooker Jamie George.

Felix Jones, who was portion of the coaching squad that won back-to-back Rugby World Cups with South Africa, near England's set-up successful August after lone 7 months successful his post. Jones has present returned to enactment with the Springboks erstwhile more.

"I inactive deliberation we're mode disconnected the imaginable of this squad and let's conscionable anticipation we commencement seeing that," added Carling, who was had a part-time mentoring relation with England nether Borthwick's predecessor Eddie Jones.

England vice-captain Ellis Genge said past week former players specified arsenic Carling were "out of touch" successful their disapproval of the team, failing to springiness them owed recognition for turning astir a tally of six defeats successful 7 Tests earlier successful the year.

"I wouldn't needfully hold with him," Carling said. "A batch of ex-players are hugely experienced and person a batch of knowledge.

"But I recognize that erstwhile you're a existent subordinate you're highly sensitive.

"You're trying arsenic hard arsenic you tin to triumph games [and] they've had a pugnacious run. Let's beryllium honest, we're talking a pugnacious tally for 3 oregon 4 years now. That's wherever players person to recognize radical volition person opinions.

"I retrieve each these times we had immoderate precise disfigured wins and you ticker the absorption of the media and the fans.

"It is simply a spot frustrating but you person to instrumentality a heavy enactment and judge that's portion and parcel of it."

Carling captained England 59 times, starring them to 3 Grand Slams and a Rugby World Cup last during the 1990s.