Graham Rowntree will be part of RFU's 'sticking plaster'

Stepping up: Graham Rowntree will be drafted into the lead role with England today
10 April 2012

English rugby's all-powerful Management Board were today set to rubber stamp the appointment of caretaker coaches Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree to oversee the defence of the Six Nations in a move which highlights the total lack of succession planning at the top of the game.

With team manager Martin Johnson and backs coach Brian Smith resigning after England's poor World Cup, the Rugby Football Union have been left with no option but to put a sticking plaster over the problem while waiting for the appointment of a new chief executive in a fortnight. In the interim, Stephen Brown has taken over as acting chief executive after Martyn Thomas resigned last night.

The governing body have called a press conference for 4.30pm, when they were due to announce the temporary coaching team.

At their meeting today, the Board were considering various reports that have already been widely leaked to the press revolving around England's World Cup, the team management and the make-up of the RFU Council.

Rob Andrew, the under-fire director of elite rugby, has backed the use of Saxons team manager Lancaster and Rowntree, the respected England scrum coach, because he failed to identify the next in line if Johnson opted to walk away. Instead of a planned handing over of power, the RFU are involved in a search for a new man to control the national team without knowing what title that person would have or who he would report to.

Nick Mallett, who is preparing the Southern Hemisphere team to face the Northern Hemisphere in the Heroes Challenge Match at Twickenham on Saturday, is the favourite to become head coach - if Andrew is pushed sideways and loses control over the England squad.

Home-grown alternatives are thin on the ground and Dean Ryan should be one of the leading domestic options. The former Gloucester director of rugby is well aware of the weaknesses in the current RFU system under Andrew. He said: "The events of the last six months have led to a lack of confidence in the governing body. I am not quite sure how they regain that confidence going forward. They need to rediscover that pretty quickly. They are in a state of flux and someone needs to restart building trust.

"This is one of the best opportunities in the world and it needs to get moving forward quickly in terms of who is going to take accountability for the appointments and how it is going to work out. The last thing we need is a structure and then try to squeeze people in it. Let's get the right people and then form a structure.

"There needs to be a real understanding that this is a joint process. We have this horrendous ability to put all the focus on to one person. If you don't get it right, then 'Out you go' and someone else has to start again. We need a succession plan. Why are we scrambling around for the next coach? No one could have spent the last six months in this country and not had their thoughts about the Union eroded. That has to change and someone has to lead that.

"I don't want to coach unless I was convinced a structure was in place and people that I trusted were around. The England job is an enormous one . . . I'm a long way down the list before someone comes to talk to me but we need a succession of coaches lined up."

Ryan is coaching the Northern Hemisphere side along with ex-Japan coach John Kirwan, who has indicted his interest in the England role.

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