On this day in 2015: Stuart Lancaster resigns as England head coach

England became the first host nation to be knocked out at the pool stage after a 28-25 defeat to Wales and a 33-13 loss to Australia at Twickenham.

Stuart Lancaster resigned after England’s poor Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Archive)

Stuart Lancaster resigned as England head coach on this day in 2015 after his side’s poor showing at the Rugby World Cup.

England became the first host nation to be knocked out at the pool stage after a 28-25 defeat to Wales and a 33-13 loss to Australia at Twickenham.

A Rugby Football Union inquest into England’s performances saw Lancaster sacked after three years in the job – he took over from 2003 World Cup winner Martin Johnson in 2012.

“I ultimately accept and take responsibility for the team’s performance,” Lancaster said after stepping down.

“I took on the role in difficult circumstances and it has been a huge challenge to transition the team with many hurdles along the way.

“However, I am immensely proud of the development of this team and I know that there is an incredibly strong foundation for them to progress to great things in the future.”

RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie said: “The Rugby World Cup was hugely disappointing for everyone associated with the England team and the subsequent review into the team’s performance was always intended to be extremely comprehensive, which it has been.”

Eddie Jones, who helped Japan to a historic 34-32 victory over South Africa in 2015, took over as England head coach and led them to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Japan before he departed in 2022 following a poor run of form.