- Steve Borthwick has finally rebuilt his England staff setup this week
- He has added the talent of a highly regarded Saracen performance coach.
- However, the veteran coach fails to start in time for the Six Nations
England manager Steve Borthwick has finally secured the services of Phil Morrow to complete his international set-up, but the Saracens man will not be available for the Six Nations.
Borthwick saw their Red Rose camp turned upside down last year when Felix Jones sensationally resigned as defense coach and head of strength and conditioning, Aled Walters, left for Ireland. Jones has been replaced by Borthwick's close friend Joe El-Abd.
England and Borthwick wanted Morrow to join them instead of Walters for November's autumn tests while still working for Saracens, but that move was blocked by Gallagher Premiership clubs who felt it amounted to a conflict of interest. However, Borthwick finally got his man.
The highly-rated Morrow will complete the season with Saracens before joining England in time for the summer tour of Argentina and the United States. However, this means England will go to the next Six Nations without taking Walters' place.
Morrow joined Saracens in 2011 as head of strength and conditioning, before being named performance director two years later. Since then, he has been part of the coaching team that has won five Premiership titles and three Champions Cups.
He also worked with Ireland and played a key role with the British & Irish Lions on their 2017 tour of New Zealand.
Steve Borthwick has finally put together his England setup before the Six Nations begins
He acquired the services of Phill Morrow, Saracens' highly qualified head performance coach.
The deal came after Premiership clubs blocked Morrow from joining England late last year.
Morrow's departure is a blow to Saracens given his importance to them. His new role with England will see him manage the country's best players on a week-to-week basis, as well as in international windows, as part of greater cooperation between Premiership teams and the RFU.
“I'm incredibly proud to be joining England,” Morrow said.
“I have worked in the Premiership for a long time and, week in and week out, I see the quality of players we have in England. The clubs do an excellent job developing these players and I look forward to working with them to help them reach their full potential.
'Under Steve's leadership, the England team is in an exciting phase of growth and development. I can't wait to start contributing to the future success of the team.
'I want to express my gratitude to the Saracens ownership for making this opportunity possible. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to (Saracens director of rugby) Mark McCall.
'Having worked with Mark on and off for 20 years, he has been both an incredible colleague and a close friend. “Your support in this decision means a lot to me.”
Scotland's hopes of Six Nations glory have been hit hard by the news that captain Sione Tuipulotu will miss the entire championship with a pectoral injury that requires surgery.
Center Tuipulotu has been in good form in both Glasgow and Scotland this season and has emerged as a favorite in midfield for the Lions' tour of Australia this summer.
The departure of the veteran coach comes after spending almost 14 years at the Saracen team
However, Morrow will not begin his work with the Three Lions ahead of the next Six Nations.
England begin their Six Nations account against Ireland on February 1 at the Aviva Stadium
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend opted to replace Tuipulotu with co-captains in the form of Bath fly-half Finn Russell and Rory Darge, who did the job in the 2024 Six Nations.
Tuipulotu is expected to return before the end of the campaign, meaning he is likely to remain in contention for the Lions.
Leicester's England forwards Ollie Chessum and George Martin will be part of Borthwick's pre-Six Nations training camp in Girona this week, despite the Tigers requesting the pair stay with them and play in Gloucester on Saturday.
Chessum returned from a knee injury after missing the autumn series in Leicester's 80-12 defeat to defending European champions Toulouse on Sunday, while Martin has also been light in the final minutes of games.