The RFU has backed England men's head coach Steve Borthwick after undertaking a "detailed and robust review" of their dismal Six Nations campaign.
England lost four of their five matches in this year's championship, including their first ever defeat to Italy. Though they finished with an improved performance against France in Paris, defeat there in the final round consigned England to their worst ever return in the Six Nations.
England headed into the championship as one of the favourites for the title but after defeating Wales, their tournament unravelled with defeats to Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France.
The RFU issued its backing to Borthwick after the Italy defeat, but did sound a note of caution saying it expected the team to "grow through adversity" heading into the Nations Championship this summer.
Once the championship finished, the RFU undertook its post-tournament review, which it says was "grounded in honesty and a focused assessment of where things didn't go well across the Championship."
The review has resulted in the RFU giving its backing to Borthwick, with sources telling ESPN that unless England's form deteriorates dramatically, he will be in the post through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The review concluded that England's poor return in the Six Nations was "not the result of a singular failure or issue.
"Instead, it highlighted a number of interconnected performance areas, such as discipline, execution of opportunities and making the most of key moments, where improvement is required if England are to consistently perform at the level expected," the statement continued.
The RFU says it shares the disappointment of supporters over England's poor form and adds Borthwick is already addressing the team's shortcomings. Sources have told ESPN there are not expected to be changes made to the coaching staff in the short term.
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"This has been a thorough and honest review, and it is clear that improvement will come from addressing several areas rather than chasing one simple answer," RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said.
"We've all seen what this England side is capable of -- most recently in the performance against France, and during the strong winning run before that.
"That doesn't disappear overnight. The challenge now is delivering that level consistently, and we are confident this group can do that, supported by the insight and feedback this review has surfaced. This is a young England team that is still growing and developing, and we understand progress in international sport is rarely linear."
England's next match is against South Africa in Johannesburg, before facing Fiji in Liverpool and then travelling to Argentina to finish off their three-match summer programme.
"Steve has engaged in this process with full openness and has clear plans in place to address these findings," Sweeney added. "We are all behind him and his coaching team going into the Nations Championship and the series of matches leading into Rugby World Cup 2027."