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Why the search for a new England coach may lead to France

By Chris Jones
Joe Worsley and Alex King (Getty Images)

England are monitoring the progress of three French based coaches as they begin the task of preparing for life after Eddie Jones, who could leave the head coach role after next year’s World Cup.

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Jones is contracted to continue in the role until 2021, but a poor World Cup showing would prompt an early departure with Nigel Melville, the acting RFU CEO, heading up the search for a replacement which starts in the New Year. Melville would like an Englishman to take up the role, supported by fellow countrymen which brings us to French exiles Joe Worsley (Bordeaux-Begles), Alex King (Montpellier) and Joe El Abd (Castres).

The RFU’s elite coaching development department is keeping tabs on all three coaches with El Abd the most high profile. In his role of forwards coach, El Abd helped Castres defy the odds and win the Top14 title last season and the 38-year-old former Toulon and Bristol flanker, is returning to Oyonnax, the club he left in 2015, to take up a director of rugby role at the end of this campaign.

Joe El Abd at 2008 Premiership launch as Bristol captain (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images for Guinness)

Ex-England No.10 King, 43, who helped Clermont Auvergne win the Top 14 title before a short period with Northampton, is the backs coach at big spending Montpellier under former Scotland coach Vern Cotter. Worsley, is currently the acting head coach at Bordeaux-Begles, having been in charge of their defence for six years.

World Cup winner Worsley took over the main role this season when Rory Teague, who was previously part of Eddie Jones’s England coaching team, was axed. Worsley will remain charge in until the arrival of Christophe Urios, who is quitting his role as head coach at champions Castres after accepting a four year deal with Bordeaux who are currently sixth in the table.

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With Rob Baxter, the Exeter director of rugby, and Newcastle’s Dean Richards initially distancing themselves from the debate over who should replace Jones, the RFU have to cast their net wide if they are to find home grown talent to fill the various roles under a new head coach. Melville, who will be favourite to land the CEO job on a full time basis, told RugbyPass; “The elite coaching development department is very much aware of the English coaches working abroad and go to watch them in action and keep up to date on how they are doing. No matter where our coaches are working, the department knows how their careers are progressing.”

Success in France will help keep the RFU interested in the progress of all three coaches with Worsley believing he must continue his self-imposed exile to gain the experience needed to bid for a place in the England coaching set up. Worsley celebrated a hard fought 17-14 European Challenge Cup win over Sale at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday, having spent the match on the touchline in pouring rain constantly bellowing instructions to his team. The 78-times capped England and British and Irish Lions flanker, first joined the French club at the invitation of former Wasps team mate Raphael Ibanez and has retained his role despite regime changes at Bordeaux.

For Worsley, known as Melon to his team mates, his time in France has been hugely beneficial and he believes he needs to spend even longer in the uncompromising Top 14 to hone his coaching skills. He said: “I am not really ready to come back to England yet. I am OK where I am and need to get more experience and prove myself and the best place is to keep on getting that experience elsewhere. England will be there at some point.”

Kane Douglas, one of two Wallaby locks at the club, has been impressed with Worsley’s coaching since stepping up to the head coach role and said: “Joe is very honest and after being defence coach he has now taken over the manager’s role and knows his stuff and talks to all the boys. He tells you if what you are doing is good or bad and since Rory has left he has been a bit of fresh air and the boys are enjoying it. We know a new coach is coming in July so we have nothing to lose and just want to get stuck in.”

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Douglas was an ever present as Australia finished runners-up at the 2015 World Cup to New Zealand, but does not expect to get a call from the Australian Rugby Union next year despite the Wallabies poor run of form. Fellow Bordeaux lock Luke Jones is returning to the Melbourne Rebels at the start of 2019 on a two-year deal, he’s immediately eligible to play for the Wallabies.

Having signed for Leinster, Douglas was lured back to Australian rugby at great expense and started in the 2015 World Cup final but does not want to repeat the experience. Douglas said; “I haven’t spoken to anyone and I have got out of contracts before and I don’t really want to do that again. I am at the club for two more seasons.”

Worsley added: “The ARU have come in the past for certain Australian players with us and you cannot stop a guy playing for his nation but we will cross that bridge if it happens.”

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J
Jon 59 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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