RWC 2015 fallout: Premiership coaches give damning verdict on Stuart Lancaster’s management
Selection, tactics and style of play all heavily criticised after home nation’s humiliating early exit from the World Cup
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Stuart Lancaster’s England set-up has come under heavy criticism from a number of Premiership directors of rugby as they delivered a damning verdict on the national side’s failed World Cup campaign.
Among those who levelled accusations at the red-rose hierarchy were:
* Northampton’s Jim Mallinder, who claimed that England made a huge mistake in not selecting Dylan Hartley and “wasted” Luther Burrell’s talent by picking Sam Burgess ahead of him.
* Rob Baxter of Exeter, who feels England should have trusted Henry Slade, made an error in abandoning their natural game against Wales and feels the current set-up does not encourage characters to express themselves.
* Leicester’s Richard Cockerill, who believes Manu Tuilagi didn’t get enough support after he was dropped from the World Cup squad having pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers.
* Steve Diamond of Sale, who says England’s exit is “a disaster” for the sport in the north-west and has backed Danny Cipriani for his part in the row with Mike Catt after he was asked to be a “dirt-tracker” (second-string player) having been told his World Cup dream was over.
* Conor O’Shea of Harlequins, who will give Chris Robshaw extra time off to cope with the scrutiny of “hindsight coaching” that has seen his decisions in the tournament come under the microscope.
Except for O’Shea, all the coaches believe the management made fundamental errors that led to their humiliating early exit after defeats against Wales and Australia.
The comprehensive nature of the criticism – ranging from selection to tactics and whether they encourage players to express themselves – will ensure Lancaster’s position comes under even more scrutiny after tomorrow’s final Pool A game against Uruguay in Manchester. While each director of rugby made clear his respect for Lancaster as a man and a coach, this was a withering verdict on a campaign that saw England make history as the first-ever host nation to be eliminated before the knockout stages.
Chief among them was Baxter, who also ruled himself out of the running to replace Lancaster if he departs, with the points he made about enjoyment and characters within the England set-up particularly marked as he lambasted the decision to play Owen Farrell, Burgess and Brad Barritt against Wales.
“I don’t think there’s many people who could say he’s been used as effectively as he could have been,” Baxter said of Slade, who will get a chance this weekend after being overlooked for the key game against Wales despite Jonathan Joseph being injured.
“When you go from having a successful game against Wales like they did the last time they played them, with a certain formula, to drop out of that formula, it takes some answering. I think that’s the million-dollar question that we’re all baffled about.
“If someone had asked me to sum the World Cup up, as an English supporter, I was more disappointed watching a group of players, and a group of coaches, miss the opportunity to genuinely enjoy the whole World Cup. It should have been the best experience of their lives.
“I’d have liked to see a really vibrant, characterful England team, enjoying themselves, celebrating some good moments,” he added. “What we’ve actually seen is very little enjoyment, very few smiles, very few characters.
“Someone asked me the other day, who are the big characters in the England team. You struggle to think. Joe Marler, for example, is a bit of a character, quite an interesting, funny guy. Yet you almost wouldn’t notice him.
“They’re all different men and different characters, but we haven’t seen them come through as themselves.”
Mallinder, who said that Northampton was his priority “at this moment in time”, was more upset with selection issues. “I’d want Dylan Hartley in my team,” he said at the Aviva Premiership launch. “I look around at other countries and they do their very, very best to get their best players available. And I don’t think we did that.
“I think you could say Luther’s omission was a waste,” he added. “It is fair to say [that Luther’s been to some dark places], but it’s not a surprise. Luther thought he was in that squad.”
Diamond defended Cipriani while also being furious that this weekend’s game against Uruguay in Manchester is now a dead rubber.
“I think the experience you take from it is you don’t make the lads who have been dropped do the dirt-tracking at the end of training,” said Diamond in a pointed reference to Catt.
He added: “For us not to get to the knockout stage is a disaster, not a hiccup, a disaster in my business and rugby community.
“There are tickets on sale in Manchester this morning for £2.50. No bulls***.”
Cockerill, for his part, suggested that Tuilagi’s case could have been handled better. “What Manu did you can’t do,” he said of a player he revealed is “90 per cent” of the way to agreeing a new Leicester deal.
“There are lots of Kiwis who misbehave. They don’t punish them, they help them. Manu needed some help.”
And O’Shea said Robshaw has to be given time off to recover after a disastrous campaign.
He said: “The only advice I will give him is stop apologising to people, be proud of what you have done and get on with it.”
Yet getting on with it will be difficult for Lancaster and his players after another horrible day.
‘We’re all baffled’: Premiership coaches give their verdicts
"We’ve seen little enjoyment, few smiles, few characters"
Rob Baxter, Exeter
"Others do their best to get their best players available and I don’t think we did that"
Jim Mallinder, Northampton
"There are lots who misbehave. Manu needed some help"
Richard Cockerill, Leicester
"There are tickets on sale this morning for £2.50 – no bulls***"
Steve Diamond, Sale
"The only advice I will give is stop apologising and get on with it"
Conor O’Shea, Harlequins
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