Rugby Union: Woodward favourite for Rowell job

Ian McGeechan obviously started a trend when he turned down the chance to coach England through to the next World Cup in just over two years' time. Yesterday, Richard Hill and Bob Dwyer revealed that they too found the appeal of the Twickenham hot seat less than irresistible and promised instead to keep faith with their respective clubs, Gloucester and Leicester.

There were, however, intriguing indications from Rugby Football Union insiders that Clive Woodward, the former England centre and current Bath coach, might head a pecking order that is shortening drastically by the day. Woodward insisted earlier this week that he had not been approached, but Bill Beaumont, the new chairman of the national playing committee, confirmed yesterday morning that contact had now been made.

One appointment does look to have been all but finalised in the wake of Jack Rowell's decision to step down as coach after three and a half years in the front line. Roger Uttley, who played alongside Rowell at Gosforth in the mid-1970s, is set to adopt a managerial role designed to take at least some of the strain and pressure from the shoulders of the new coach.

A combination of Uttley and Woodward would not, on the face of it, be a bad thing. Woodward has emerged over the last couple of seasons as the most imaginative and adventurous of the younger generation of top-flight coaches, while Uttley's hard-bitten pragmatism was an important factor behind England's compelling march to the World Cup final in 1991.

Yesterday, both Hill and Dwyer ruled themselves out of contention for the No 1 post by citing club commitments. "I have made it clear that my duties to Gloucester must come first," Hill said. "There is no chance of my taking a full-time role with England, although the club are happy for me to continue my coaching with England A."

Meanwhile, McGeechan confessed that his decision to reject overtures from Fran Cotton, the vice-chairman of the RFU's management board, had been the most agonising of his rugby career. "All in all it was very difficult, very confusing and I might well regret it," he said during a rugby broadcast on Sky TV.

The former Scotland coach flatly rebuffed reports that his links north of the border persuaded him to spike the England option and stay with Northampton. "I was very close to a lot of Scottish players but ultimately, it wasn't the reason I didn't put my name forward. I think that in the professional game, you will get international coaches moving around. There were all sorts of other things in the equation; if it was all black and white, it would have been easy."

Rowell political victim, page 26