Jamie George was "clearly disappointed" to lose the England captaincy ahead of their Six Nations campaign next month, said head coach Steve Borthwick.

The 34-year-old has been England captain since the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but will be vice-captain to Saracens team-mate Maro Itoje at the upcoming Six Nations.

"I think Jamie is clearly disappointed, as anybody would be," Borthwick told Rugby Union Weekly. "But he's a wonderful rugby player, and a fantastic person.

"He's always put the team first. That was the nature of the conversation - the reaction was disappointment, but we always put the team first."

England lost seven of their 12 Tests in 2024 while George was captain, with their only stand-out victory coming against Ireland in last year's Six Nations.

Borthwick's decision to replace George with Itoje is thought to have been influenced by his absence in the latter stages of matches, with the front row having often been replaced.

In autumn, England gave up an eight-point lead against New Zealand, conceded seven unanswered points to South Africa and twice gave away leads against Australia in the final six minutes.

"I think Maro has started 84–86 games, but has only come off twice, which is an incredible figure," added Borthwick.

"It's one of the considerations and I think every coach's preference would be that the captain is there for 80 minutes.

"It's not the only consideration and sometimes that's not possible… but I think that would generally be the preference."

Borthwick has decided against making wholesale changes to the squad for the 2025 Six Nations, with 32 of the 36 players having been involved in the autumn internationals or would have been if not for injury.

That continuity, he says, is crucial for England to continue their on-pitch development.

"You see the cohesiveness and consistency they've had in the Ireland team for many years - a number of them play together at Leinster," added Borthwick.

"We have to build that cohesiveness and the way we want to play. I think point of difference is going to be around the way we attack and move the ball.

"You look at the athleticism and the speed this England team has and has developed through 2024.

"How well you know each other, how cohesive you are and how many games you've played together just helps you to be more effective as an attacking team."