Next England Coach & Captain

[simonokeeffe]

Lancaster is a lame duck and has said he will reconsider his position after the tournament, whoever comes in will need free reign over assistants, at very least Farrell's influence has to be diminished
They'll probably go for an Englishman again but really they should just throw money at Wayne Smith or Dave Rennie

Mike Ford: probably best choice but is contracted for 4 years so Bruce Craig will want crazy money to release him

Rob Baxter: a good option IMO but they might feel theyre replacing like with like

Jim Mallinder: Dylan Hartley as skipper would be fun, theyre short on options there so may as well go down the Millwall route

[Oldschool]

Opportunity knocks.
England need to import a non English coach.
Somebody like Gatland would be a great fit for them.
However the real issue that the RFU need to look at is the damage being done by the club sugar daddies.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I don't really see an obvious answer to either question.

Nobody in the premiership has achieved success consistently. A few of the candidates down south might be waiting to see what happens with NZ first.

I hate myself for saying his name but Robbie Deans might actually be in the mix for this one, especially if they need someone in the short term. Will they pick an Aussie though? Hard to know. Eddie Jones has really put himself in the shop window but sounds like he's really happy in Japan and I hope he stays so that they can repeat this level of performance in 2019. There are quite a few outstanding coaches out there who look after particular areas but no head coaches stand out.

Struggling to see a captain for the short term but I'd be looking to get Itoje in the team and have him well established as captain by the time the next World Cup comes around. I'd have had him in this squad (which would have made him a realistic candidate for captain soon) and stand by that, he'd have been very useful off the bench in the last couple of weeks. I still think Robshaw is a fantastic player, hope he rebounds from all this but his position is pretty much untenable now.

[CiaranIrl]

If they must pick an Englishman, Shaun Edwards. If not, Jake White.

[outcast eddie]

Lancaster should stay, he's lost two games FFS.

The only obvious leader in the current England team, while Hartley sits on the naughty step, is Mike Brown.

Itoje - great prospect but its getting ahead of ourselves to consider him captain material after just one showing in an England jersey..

[simonokeeffe]

I don't really see an obvious answer to either question.

Nobody in the premiership has achieved success consistently. A few of the candidates down south might be waiting to see what happens with NZ first.

I hate myself for saying his name but Robbie Deans might actually be in the mix for this one, especially if they need someone in the short term. Will they pick an Aussie though? Hard to know. Eddie Jones has really put himself in the shop window but sounds like he's really happy in Japan and I hope he stays so that they can repeat this level of performance in 2019. There are quite a few outstanding coaches out there who look after particular areas but no head coaches stand out.

Struggling to see a captain for the short term but I'd be looking to get Itoje in the team and have him well established as captain by the time the next World Cup comes around. I'd have had him in this squad (which would have made him a realistic candidate for captain soon) and stand by that, he'd have been very useful off the bench in the last couple of weeks. I still think Robshaw is a fantastic player, hope he rebounds from all this but his position is pretty much untenable now.

As you follow his lookalikes around Ranelagh you should know Deans is a Kiwi

Lancaster should stay, he's lost two games FFS.

The only obvious leader in the current England team, while Hartley sits on the naughty step, is Mike Brown.

Itoje - great prospect but its getting ahead of ourselves to consider him captain material after just one showing in an England jersey..

'I'm going to reconsider my position' doesnt scream certainty about even wanting to do that (stay)
RFU will want blood over this and theyre not going to sack themselves or even Rob Andrew who has been quite poor

Mike Brown is a leader but fullback is a tough position to captain from, influence refs, forward leader then becomes important

They need someone with the canastas to pick Armitage

[fourthirtythree]

While neither full backs shone last night, Brown in particular looked a long, long way from being a leader.

Angry face on headless chicken...

[leinster4life13]

While neither full backs shone last night, Brown in particular looked a long, long way from being a leader.

Angry face on headless chicken...

Taxi for Peter O'Mahoney...

[leinster4life13]

Just read in the FT that the rfu are spending 10 million bringing rugby into state schools. Whatever about their inability to produce ruthless coaches and players in recent years, they will not lack for players and cash, or worry about growing the game. The IRFU should take note, we can't keep punching at the level we currently do when our playing base remains static or falling(at every level after schools/minis)

[Vamos los azules]

Farrell and Rowntree are surely dead men walking at this stage. I can't see anything in how England have performed that suggests those two should keep their jobs. Mike Catt might survive purely by virtue of no-one having a clue what he actually does so it's hard to apportion blame. Lancaster may be granted the dignity of resigning rather than being sacked. If the 2011 crop mostly got culled I don't see this lot seeing out those wonderfully thought-through 6 year contracts.

Once Wales are out of the tournament I fully expect Shaun Edwards to issue another come and get me call.

I also expect the RFU to once again demonstrate that they have more money than sense.

[blockhead]

Isn't Eddie O looking for a job at the moment.

[simonokeeffe]

Billy Vunipola was a guest at a Q &A kerjigger with Campo and Kieron Bracken and is quoted as saying that Burgess was all down to Farrell, even over ruled Lancaster, every player selection is a row between Catt and Farrell, Catt walked out on last selection meeting, the players all wanted Burell in there and were put out over Burgess being railroaded in, Farrell does all the coaching with Lancaster titular head of state (am paraphrasing now)

The Telegraph says:

Reports of a training pitch row between Danny Cipriani and attack coach Mike Catt the day before the 31-man squad was announced also emerged, with the players backing Cipriani. Claims by former captain Will Carling that Lancaster had run a “classroom-orientated environment” also chimed with some sources in the camp amid frustration that restrictions on social events were too strict.

[olaf the fat]

I wonder will Farrell go back to League and try to get them playing like union? it got found out the other way around.

[LENSTA]

The below is a copy/paste from a group conversation I am in... make of it what you will... it is all hearsay and I don't stand over anything said in it. If you charge me with naked gossip-mongering then I am guilty as charged....



This showed up on one of those rugby banter pages and was apparently found on the Quins forum:

"From a friend before the game yesterday:
So, it turns out Kieran Bracken’s next-door neighbour is the senior partner at a City litigation law firm called Stewarts Law. Last night they held a RWC gathering which was hosted by Bracken. As part of the proceedings—after David “rent-a-gob” Campese had spent 15 minutes railing against everything in modern rugby—Bracken got hold of the mic and did a Q&A with injured England no. 8 Billy Vunipola! who had a beer in his hand and appeared to have a couple more inside him…

Bracken: when you were interviewed after the game against Fiji you said you didn’t know you’d scored the bonus-point try—that was a strange thing to say…
Billy: not at all. None of us knew bonus points were part of this world cup. No one had told us.

[…]

Bracken: what’s Stuart Lancaster like to work with as a coach?
BillyV: I don’t know.
Bracken: what do you mean?
BillyV: Stuart doesn’t coach the team, Andy Farrell does. I’ve never been coached by Stuart.
Campo, butting in: what effect has that had on the way the team plays?
Billy: he makes us play like a rugby league team.

(Campo then goes off on one about England’s terrible style of play is and how the RFU should just bite the bullet and hire an experienced international coach. To be fair, he’s absolutely spot on with that).

[…]

Campo: so what do you think about England picking Sam Burgess?
BillyV: it’s been disruptive. The whole squad is unhappy about it.
Bracken: WHAT? Why?
BillyV: Luther Burrell earned his place in the RWC squad and Sam didn’t. Luther should have been picked, not Sam.

[…]

Bracken: and how are you enjoying playing under Chris Robshaw?
BillyV: *shrugs shoulders, sips beer, says nothing*

So, that’s OK then.

Meanwhile Jake—who seems to have got himself quite close to the England camp—is saying that Mike Catt walked out of last week’s selection meeting and vowed not to return: seems Farrell is not only coaching the team but picking it as well…"

[jimbobjoe]

Vunipola has denied all of this on twitter. He also doesn't drink.

[leinster4life13]

Vunipola has denied all of this on twitter. He also doesn't drink.

He would though wouldnt he

[jimbobjoe]

Vunipola has denied all of this on twitter. He also doesn't drink.

He would though wouldnt he

Course he would! The whole thing still smells of BS though!

[leinster4life13]

I really really want it to be true #drama lol.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Whatever about the drama, I think the divide between the coaches is pretty obvious. Caught between two styles, and some selection issues, to me that points to them not being on the same page.

[simonokeeffe]

Whatever about the drama, I think the divide between the coaches is pretty obvious. Caught between two styles, and some selection issues, to me that points to them not being on the same page.

did Lancaster have any say in his assistants? Rob Andrew needs to be fired out of a cannon

England are in trouble for coaching staff confronting officials at half time, were already due a fine for sending 2 players for post match media duty instead of the required 10