Conor O'Shea: Borthwick's contract, overseas rule & Red Roses

About this episode

Conor O'Shea discusses key issues in English rugby, including contract extensions and the overseas player rule.

Ugo and Chris sit down with the RFU performance director Conor O’Shea for a wide-ranging conversation about the big issues shaping English rugby. O’Shea reveals they plan to extend Steve Borthwick’s contract to cover the 2028 Six Nations and prevent speculation around his future. They discuss the importance of the upcoming autumn and despite a poor 2026 O’Shea tells us England can go all the way at the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Should the RFU scrap the rule preventing overseas-based players being picked for England? And how do they improve the coaching pathway for English coaches to make the jump from domestic to international rugby? They also quiz O’Shea on the Red Roses’ dominance and the succession plan for John Mitchell.

People in this episode

Hosts: Ugo, Chris

Guest: Conor O'Shea

Topics covered

• English rugby
• contract extension
• overseas player rule
• coaching pathway
• Red Roses
• 2027 World Cup

Keywords

• Conor O'Shea
• Steve Borthwick
• RFU
• Red Roses
• 2027 World Cup
• coaching pathway
• overseas players

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RFU

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