England head coach Steve Borthwick has made former All Black Nick Evans his new attack coach ahead of the Six Nations.

With Kevin Sinfield already installed as defence coach, Borthwick believes he has found another ideal candidate to galvanise the Red Rose at the start of a Rugby World Cup year.

Evans will take time out from his coaching duties at Harlequins to join the England set-up.

It is unclear for now what involvement Martin Gleeson will have, having been attack coach under Borthwick's predecessor, Eddie Jones.

Evans, who won 16 caps for New Zealand before signing for Harlequins in 2008, retired from playing in April 2017 but remains an influential figure at the Premiership club.

Borthwick said: "I am delighted that Nick is joining our team ahead of the Six Nations. Nick brings with him a wealth of different experiences as a player and coach, which will be incredibly valuable to the growth of our team. 

"I know that Nick understands the pride and responsibility that comes with representing your country. We aim to build an England team that our nation can be proud of, and I know that our supporters will be very excited by what Nick can bring to our side."

Former Leicester Tigers head coach Borthwick took over from Jones after the Australian was sacked in December, and it remains to be seen whether he may want Evans to stay involved leading up to the World Cup if the Six Nations brings positive results.

Harlequins, who were thanked by Borthwick on Friday, have said Evans will return to them on a full-time basis after the Six Nations.

The appointment of Evans comes during a week that saw Matt Proudfoot's tenure as England forwards coach come to an end.

England launch their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4, having won just two of their five matches in each of the past two championships.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton is "quite confident" he will be fit for the start of the Six Nations after undergoing surgery on his cheekbone.

The fly-half went under the knife this week to repair damage done during Leinster's United Rugby Championship clash with Connacht last Sunday.

Sexton's injury blow raised concerns over his participation in the Six Nations, but former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman spoke to the number 10 after his procedure and revealed he should be ready to face Wales at the Principality Stadium on February 4.

"Sexton is quite confident he is going to be back for the first round," said Jackman.

He added: "He didn't have to get wired - it was a simpler procedure than we all feared.

"He is due back in four weeks so should be back for the first game against Wales which will be a huge boost for Ireland - he is delighted."

Sexton will retire after the Rugby World Cup in France this year, so this will be his last Six Nations.

Australia assistant coach Scott Wisemantel has resigned from his position just eight months out from the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Wisemantel returned to Australia's coaching set up in December 2019 after spending 18 months in a similar role with England.

In a big blow for the Wallabies ahead of the World Cup in France, they are now seeking a new right-hand man for head coach Dave Rennie.

Wisemantel confirmed in a statement on Rugby Australia's official website on Thursday that the decision was down to personal reasons.

"While this has been a very difficult decision, it's one that's best for me and my family at this point in time," he said.

"The World Cup is the pinnacle of our sport and requires 100-per-cent commitment and that's something I'm unfortunately unable to give at the moment.

"I've loved being with this team under Dave and wish them all the best for their season and in the World Cup later this year."

Wisemantel boasts 20 years of coaching experience and has worked as an assistant at the past four World Cups with Australia, Samoa, Japan and 2019 finalists England.

Australia boss Rennie is disappointed to have lost a key member of his staff but understands the decision.

"Scott's a top man and one of the best coaches I've ever worked with," Rennie said. 

"He's hugely respected around the world, has a mountain of experience at International level and an incredible rapport with our players.

"While we did all we could to try and keep Scott, we respect his decision and wish him, Gabs and the girls all the best.

"He's been a massive part of this group for the past three years and we'll miss him."

Australia concluded their 2022 campaign with three defeats from their five November internationals, having also finished third in the Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies will face Wales, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal in the pool phase of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which gets under way on September 8.

Steve Borthwick will bring a "clarity" to England as their new boss, with defence coach Kevin Sinfield indicating they will prioritise memories over medals.

The duo departed Leicester Tigers last month, where they won the Premiership together, to take charge at Twickenham following Eddies Jones' exit.

With only an incoming Six Nations campaign and a handful of friendlies before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in September, the pair will immediately have their hands full.

But Sinfield is relishing the challenge, and has outlined how the two of them will strive to unite a side that struggled across a bruising November campaign.

"We will provide an environment where there is clarity, but also there is a togetherness and a fight and a spirit where they look after each other and care for each other," he told BBC Sport.

"That is really important to us. We need to have a system, we need to understand each other's roles within that, we need to understand within that we will get stuff wrong.

"But I think if they can understand that the things that are important in your career, [we will be alright].

"You can have a load of money and a load of medals, but ultimately the friendship and the memories are what is really, really important."

The second-in-command post with England marks a meteoric rise through the ranks for Sinfield, who cut his teeth as a player in rugby league with Leeds Rhinos.

Among the most successful players of the modern British game, he adds that he can feel the desire among his new charges, and that his role is to successfully translate it to the pitch.

"I think they are hungry; I've seen that over the last few days," he added. "I've sat in front of them and seen the sparkle in their eyes.

"I am learning every day and I don't think that ever stops. There is so much knowledge and rugby intelligence in our players.

"I need to tap into that too. To see the calibre of players we have available is really exciting."

Johnny Sexton might face a race to be fit in time to feature in the Six Nations after it was confirmed he will undergo surgery on a facial injury.

The captain, who has played for his country 109 times, is set to retire after the World Cup in France later this year.

That means the upcoming Six Nations campaign, which Ireland start with a trip to face Wales on February 4, will be his last.

However, the 37-year-old fly-half's participation is in doubt after he suffered a cheekbone injury during Leinster's United Rugby Championship clash with Connacht on Sunday.

Leinster confirmed Sexton was due to have a procedure on Tuesday and will be assessed further following the operation.

Ireland are top of the world rankings and finished second in last year's Six Nations, four points behind champions France.

After facing Wales, they take on France in Dublin before travelling to Italy on February 25.

Andy Farrell's team play Scotland on March 12 and round off their Six Nations campaign against England six days later.

Siya Kolisi will be staying in France after the Rugby World Cup, with the South Africa captain clinching a move from the Sharks to Racing 92.

The Springboks' first black skipper, who led his team to 2019 global glory in Japan, will be targeting a repeat when France stages the 2023 World Cup in September and October.

It has now emerged Kolisi has agreed a long-term deal to switch to the Top 14, signing up until 2026 with Paris-based Racing in a deal that will take effect after the World Cup.

The 31-year-old flanker said: "I am very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​joining Racing 92 after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a visionary club that I have always admired.

"I would like to thank all those involved in Racing 92 and the Cell C Sharks for allowing me to take up this new challenge. Racing 92 have great ambitions on the pitch but also very encouraging societal projects, which corresponds to my personal values ​​and mission."

In a statement announcing the signing, Racing said they would also collaborate with the Sharks in the long term on an exchange of ideas in a "broader long-term" agreement between the teams.

Racing chairman Jacky Lorenzetti said of Kolisi: "His deep culture of victory and his natural leadership make him a very great player who doubles as a deeply humanist man. He will bring additional positive energy to Racing 92."

Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee said Kolisi had been "an instrumental and much-loved member" of the club since joining from the Stormers in February 2021.

"His well-documented and commendable leadership qualities extends far beyond the playing field," Coetzee said on the Sharks website. "His move to France is a new and exciting opportunity and we could not be happier for him."

Joe Marler has been banned for two weeks with a further four suspended over comments made by the England and Harlequins prop to Bristol Bears' Jake Heenan.

Marler, who has been capped 79 times by England, reportedly made a remark over Heenan's mother during Quins' 15-12 Premiership defeat to Bristol at the Stoop on Tuesday. 

The comment led to a melee on the field between the two sets of players and the Bristol flanker received a penalty in the aftermath.

Marler was given a six-week suspension on Friday but four of those have been suspended. He will also be required to give a presentation to a local club or school, as well as a Premiership academy, on what the core values of rugby are.

Gareth Graham, RFU disciplinary panel chair, said: "The player [Marler] accepted that his conduct was prejudicial to the interests of the game.

"Rugby's core values are not empty words or slogans which can be signed up to and then ignored. They are integral to the game.

"The insulting and offensive comments made by the player were wholly inappropriate; such comments should form no part of the modern game."

Marler is no stranger to controversy on the field, having been suspended and fined in 2016 for an incident with Wales prop Samson Lee, while he received a 10-week ban in 2020 for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones' genitals during a Six Nations match.

Wales lock Will Rowlands confirmed he will miss the Six Nations with a shoulder injury.

The Dragons second row is set to return in April after undergoing surgery on the injury sustained during Wales' Autumn Nations clash with Argentina last month.

Rowlands will be a big miss for his nation, who begin their campaign against Ireland on February 4 before concluding against France six weeks later.

A string of impressive performances in 2022 saw the 31-year-old named player of the year by the Welsh Rugby Writers Association (WRWA).

"The shoulder is OK, It is frustrating, but [the recovery] is just slow and steady," he told the Scrum V Live programme. "Hopefully, I will be involved back in rugby in April time."

Rowlands, who is reportedly set to join French side Racing 92 after leaving the Dragons at the end of this season, is also doubtful for the World Cup in September due to not fulfilling the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) selection criteria.

The policy states players playing their domestic club rugby outside Wales must have earned 60 or more caps to remain eligible for selection, thus rendering the 23-cap lock unavailable to Warren Gatland.

World Rugby will introduce a countdown timer for scrums and kicks at goal from January in a bid to speed up the game.

A series of rule changes are to be enforced from January 1 following World Rugby's Shape of the Game Conference, at which ways to improve rugby union's "entertainment value" were discussed.

Under the law changes, players will have 90 seconds to take a conversion following a try and a minute to take a penalty, with kicks being disallowed if they are not taken within that time.

Meanwhile, scrums must start within 30 seconds of being awarded and line-outs must be formed "without delay", with any time-wasting resulting in a free-kick.

A statement released by World Rugby on Thursday said: "The guidelines, which are designed to assist match officials, players and coaches and to enhance fan experience, are part of a drive by the international federation to speed up the game and reflect key outcomes of the Shape of the Game Conference in November.

"With the Rugby World Cup 2023 fast-approaching, the new directives are designed to support a quicker, more entertaining game while balancing safety and spectacle."

The 2023 Rugby World Cup gets under way in France on September 8, with South Africa looking to defend the title they won by beating England in the 2019 final.

Benetton Treviso apologised for "absurd stupidity" after a banana was given to Cherif Traore in the team's Secret Santa.

Traore, who is an Italy international having made his debut in 2018, was given a rotten banana during the United Rugby Championship side's Christmas dinner.

The prop was born in Guinea but moved to Italy aged seven, and has lived in the country ever since.

Traore spoke out against the act on social media, saying he had not "slept all night" and had "decided not to keep quiet this time to ensure that episodes like this do not happen again".

Benetton responded with a statement, which said that Traore had "accepted his comrades' apologies".

President Amerino Zatta declared: "What happened against Cherif does not in any way reflect our identity and the values that the Benetton family has been carrying forward for years.

"I'm glad Cherif accepted the apology, understanding the absurd stupidity committed by one of his teammates.

"I am sure that this will strengthen the sense of cohesion within the group and that such a gesture will never again find fertile ground within our family.

"On behalf of the entire team, I reiterate that we condemn any expression of racism and that no form of discrimination is accepted in our dressing room."

Traore was involved in the team's statement, adding: "This afternoon's meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand how what one of my companions did on the occasion of exchanging Christmas presents is purely the result of idiocy and nothing other.

"I appreciated and accepted his apologies and those of the entire team. I'm happy with the gesture and I'm sure what happened will make the group even more solid.

"We are a family and as such we will continue to commit ourselves on and off the pitch, fighting, as we always have, against all forms of discrimination."

Eddie Jones has skirted around answering questions on potentially linking up with Australia, insisting he is not motivated to prove England wrong in his next job.

Jones was sacked as England coach this month after seven years in charge.

The 62-year-old won the Six Nations on three occasions, including a Grand Slam in 2016, and guided the Red Rose to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, but pressure had been building for some time.

A dismal set of 2022 results saw Jones' England win just five of 12 Tests, prompting his dismissal following a third-placed finish in the Six Nations.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Jones said he "wouldn't do anything differently" and is keen for a return to coaching.

There have been links to Australia – Jones' home nation, who he led to the 2003 World Cup final, losing to England – that were encouraged by comments Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan made to the Daily Mail.

McLennan invited Jones to join the Wallabies set-up, not clarifying his potential role but suggesting they could "weaponise these recent events for Australia" ahead of next year's World Cup, in which a quarter-final meeting with England is on the cards.

Jones sounded less keen to make his next move based solely around his ultimately disappointing experience at Twickenham.

"It's not about coaching England's rivals; it's about adding to the game," he said. "I love the game and I love coaching. I want to continue coaching."

He added: "As you get a bit older, as I am, you just want to leave things in a better place. I just want to share the great experience I have had, particularly with coaching players and teams.

"What we want to see is great games of rugby, and if you have the opportunity to be part of that, you are extremely lucky."

Jones laughed at mention of joining the Australia team, saying: "Be a discerning reader, never believe what you read in the papers."

Bernard Laporte will step back from his role as president of the French Rugby Federation after his corruption conviction, but he could return to the top office.

Former France coach Laporte wanted to remain in charge at the federation (FFR), but on Monday accepted a ruling by its ethics committee that he must relinquish power.

Handed a two-year suspended prison sentence last Tuesday, Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby within hours as an act of "self-suspension." Now he will follow a similar tack with French rugby's top authority.

An investigation examined a number of decisions made by Laporte that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, was also hit with a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court.

He has denied any wrongdoing and is to appeal against his court punishments. Consequently, the FFR has not ousted Laporte permanently at this stage, giving him the chance to clear his name.

The ethics committee told the 58-year-old he must accept "provisional withdrawal, as a precaution until a final criminal decision" from all presidential duties, with a temporary successor to be put in place.

According to the FFR, Laporte elected to follow the instruction "to the letter." He will remain president, officially at least, but be powerless.

"He is asked to withdraw temporarily while the final criminal decision is made," the federation said.

"This implies in particular that the president will no longer participate in the various decision-making bodies of the French Rugby Federation, and will no longer sign any commitment under the FFR."

The FFR said it intended for the action to take effect after a meeting between Laporte and Amelie Oudea-Castera, France's sports minister, which is scheduled for Thursday.

Oudea-Castera was among the first to call for Laporte to step down following his conviction, saying it would be inappropriate for him to remain in control ahead of France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year.

She has also voiced opposition to the idea of a stand-in president, questioning the "legitimacy" of such a presence at the top of the organisation.

Steve Borthwick has been appointed England's new head coach on a five-year contract.

The former Red Rose captain leaves Leicester Tigers to take over from Eddie Jones, who was sacked earlier this month.

Borthwick previously served as a forwards coach alongside Jones when England reached the 2019 World Cup final.

The new man at the helm also worked with Jones during the Australian's time in charge of Japan, and he vacates his Leicester role after winning the Premiership title last season.

The 43-year-old brings rugby league great Kevin Sinfield with him from the Tigers as defence coach.

Former lock Borthwick played 57 Tests for England and was part of the squad that reached the 2007 World Cup final.

The 43-year-old's first match in charge will be England's Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4, with Argentina their first Rugby World Cup opponents in Marseille on September 9.

Confirmation came in a statement from England Rugby, which read: "Former England captain and forwards coach Steve Borthwick has been announced as England men's head coach from today.

"Kevin Sinfield has also been appointed to the position of England men's defence coach, taking on the role this week."

Borthwick said: "I'm deeply honoured to be appointed England head coach, and I am very excited by the challenge.

"The English game is full of talent and I want to build a winning team which makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people to fall in love with rugby union the way I did. I want the whole country to be proud of us and to enjoy watching us play.

"The hard work starts now and planning for the Guinness Six Nations and Rugby World Cup begins today. I will give it everything.”

Bernard Laporte has been told he must stand down as president of the French Rugby Federation after his corruption conviction, reports said on Friday.

Former France coach Laporte had signalled an intention to remain at the helm of the federation (FFR), but the organisation's own ethics committee has decided he must go.

According to French newspapers Le Parisien and L'Equipe, the ethics committee has served Laporte with an injunction insisting he vacates his post.

Should Laporte not follow the instruction to leave office, the ethics committee would reportedly have the power to take control of the FFR disciplinary commission and impose sanctions on the 58-year-old president.

"We could not stay outside this situation," said the ethics committee, quoted by Le Parisien. "But it took time for the members to come together, far from the media tumult, to make a decision in calm and serenity."

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby on Tuesday as an act of "self-suspension" after he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

That came after an investigation which examined a number of decisions that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, was also hit with a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday.

The ban from rugby activities is suspended pending the outcome of Laporte's planned appeal; however, France's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera and the French National Rugby League have this week both called for Laporte to be replaced.

France will host the Rugby World Cup next year.

Oudea-Castera said it would be inappropriate for Laporte to remain in charge "at a moment as decisive for French rugby as the home stretch before a Rugby World Cup where France will receive nations from all over the world".

The French National Rugby League (LNR) has called on the French Rugby Federation (FFR) to hold new elections after its president Bernard Laporte was found guilty of corruption.

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby as an act of "self-suspension" after he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

It came after an investigation which examined a number of decisions that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, also received a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday.

With France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, the nation's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera stated Laporte should be replaced as FFR president, and the LNR has now echoed those sentiments.

An LNR press release said: "The LNR Office took note of the decision pronounced Tuesday by the Paris Criminal Court and of the position of the Minister of Sports.

"Faced with this unprecedented situation which is weakening the institution, and after consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and Pro D2, the LNR Board considers that it is appropriate to restore appeasement within French rugby through the organisation of new elections by the FFR, as requested by the Minister of Sports.

"This approach will allow the governance appointed at the end of these elections to move forward serenely towards the major deadlines facing French rugby. 

"Whatever happens, the priority of the LNR and the Top 14 and Pro D2 clubs will remain over the coming months to mobilise all the energies of professional rugby for the success of French rugby, especially as the big goal approaches of the 2023 World Cup."