In the aftermath of what was England’s worst ever performance at a Rugby World Cup, Head Coach Stuart Lancaster has resigned. After three years in the job, the mounting pressures of continued failure have caught up with a man who tried from the outset to change an England side that was in disarray after another disastrous Rugby World Cup. In 2011 it was off field antics, but in 2015 the sole reason for this resignation can be his team’s failure on the pitch.
The uproar following England’s exit has seen a backlash from pundits, ex-players and the press on Lancaster’s whole coaching set up. Without dwelling upon it, as so much has been already said, the Burgess fiasco has counted heavily against Lancaster. The scapegoat nature of English failure has meant that two consummate professionals have borne the brunt of press hysteria at England’s inability to get out of the pool. As disappointing as it was to see, many England supporters need to recognise that England are no longer the best in the world, and the talk of winning the tournament was pure fantasy. That pool was always going to be a battleground and one major international rugby nation was going to be knocked out.
If it had been Wales or Australia and England meekly bowed out in the quarter finals, would Lancaster still be gone or would common sense have prevailed? With a vastly inexperienced squad he was able to twice take England to second in the Six Nations and achieve a remarkable victory against New Zealand in the Autumn tests. Minor achievements, but steps in the right direction. Selection for the World Cup may well have sealed his fate as he struggled to find the balance needed. The game plan that worked so well in the Six Nations was abandoned, and panic ten-man rugby set in. Whether this was his own personal decisions, or influenced by his backroom staff, we may never know. What we do know is that his backroom staff continue to have jobs with the RFU until such time a new Head Coach makes the decision on their futures.
With Stuart Lancaster gone, attention will now turn to the person who will replace him as Head Coach of England. Since England’s only World Cup victory back in 2003, four men have been entrusted with the task of bringing back that level of success: Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton, Martin Johnson and Lancaster. Each coach failed due to different circumstances, but ultimately each was not able to replicate the years of success that Sir Clive Woodward enjoyed. The one trait that ran through this lifeblood of failure was the nationality of the coaches; all English. The question now has been raised as to whether a foreign coach is best for the national side. CEO of the Rugby Football Union, Ian Ritchie, insists it is not about the person’s nationality, but the best person for the job. This is not without precedent in sport, but the English do have an attitude that there must be an Englishman with the necessary skills to do the job. English football experimented with foreign coaches, and returned rather quickly to someone in the mould of Lancaster; Roy Hodgson. With any number of names being added to the list of possible replacements daily, it will be intriguing to see who receives the call to turn around the fortunes of English rugby.
Whoever assumes the top position has a number of challenges to front up to straight away — not least in the fighting and general morale of the squad. Aside from this, one major question will be whether overseas players will be allowed to be selected for England duty. The Premiership is home to many fantastic English talents that were overlooked for World Cup duty, but disregarded were those plying their trade on foreign soil. A foreign coach is likely to rescind this rule and pick the best English players no matter the club they play for. As always, it will only be with hindsight that we judge the next coach as we now do with Lancaster. If England has succeeded, we would now be singing his praises for sticking to his guns?
All the work of Stuart Lancaster cannot be forgotten by wiping the slate clean. It may not seem it with World Cup failure, but Lancaster had begun to turn the fortunes of the national side. His talk of culture and pride in the England shirt is what is needed. Every Kiwi is proud to be an All Black; every South African, a Springbok, but rugby in England is often swept under the carpet until major tournaments. Lancaster attempted to instil the pride in that red rose, and whoever succeeds him needs to continue building that culture. England Rugby does not need a revolution, but evolution. Planning in four year cycles for the World Cup does not work, and England need to focus on winning every single match. We cannot hope to emulate any other nation’s style, but must forge our own built from the passion all rugby fans in England harbour.
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