Next Man Up

Eddie Jones is gone. Whether you feel that it was the right decision or not—personally I say that it’s 5 years late—England are now in a situation where they have just sacked their head coach less than a year our from the Rugby World Cup, leaving Jones’ replacement with currently just 8 matches (5 in the Six Nations, then 2 Tests against Wales and 1 against Fiji in Autumn) until the tournament starts.

So who takes over from Jones? Unlike Wales—who announced Warren Gatland’s return alongside Wayne Pivac’s sacking—England have simply announced that Richard Cockerill has stepped up from Forwards coach to interim Head Coach. But who will get the actual job?

The Missed Opportunities

First off, a quick mention of 2 names that should have been very exciting options, but have just in the last few weeks signed new long-term contracts in France. It feels like just a matter of time until Ronan O’Gara is leading a Test team, but his new contract at La Rochelle means that he is likely holding on for the Irish job once Andy Farrell’s tenure comes to an end. Meanwhile defensive mastermind Shaun Edwards is committed to France through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and you can’t help wonder the force that England could have been had he been part of the England set-up. Our loss has been Wales’ and France’s gain.

And it’s also worth just taking a moment to mention Warren Gatland, who would have likely been on the shortlist had the RFU not been beaten to his signing by the WRU—amazing how such an incompetent union have made the RFU look like clowns in their respective reactions to the Autumn campaigns.

Steve Borthwick

Probably the favourite to take over, Borthwick impressed as Forwards coach of Japan and then England under Eddie Jones, so has experience of coaching at Test level. And since then, his immediate turnaround of Leicester from being at threat of relegation to being Premiership champions has shown his capability as a head coach. You also have to imagine that he would want to bring Kevin Sinfield with him, which would be a very attractive prospect for everyone except Leicester Tigers. His knowledge of the players will be helpful with so little time until the World Cup, but with only 2 and a half seasons’ experience as a head coach, is this a little too soon for him?

Scott Robertson

I’ve spent the last 3 years arguing that Razor should have got the All Blacks job instead of Ian Foster, and it’s hard to imagine him not being offered the job after the World Cup, so to sneak in one year earlier and sign him to a contract through to the end of 2027 would be a monumental coup. Under his leadership, the Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the world, and the thought of England playing the structured play that also encourages heads-up rugby is mouth-watering, but bringing in him now would give him very little time to learn the players and establish his style of play.

Mark McCall

Though their success over the last 10 years has been tarnished by clearly breaking the salary cap to give them an unfair advantage, it must be noted just how well coached Saracens have been. And with so many current or former Saracens players in the England squad, it would certainly help any transition period if McCall were to take over as head coach, while someone so experienced as a Premiership Rugby head coach will surely also have good knowledge of the wider talent available to England. However his only international experience is a short spell with Ireland A so, assuming he even has an interest in the role, would the lack of Test experience count against him?

Rob Baxter

As long-term Director of Rugby as Exeter Chiefs, Baxter comes with many of the same positives as McCall, he has previously distanced himself from the job and again lacks any significant experience of coaching at Test level.

Richard Cockerill

He may have been named the interim head coach, but don’t rule out Cockers, especially if time continues to drag on with nobody else being announced, he will surely start to look even more attractive. Has plenty of experience as a head coach/director of rugby at club level, and while he may have limited experience of coaching at Test level, having been part of Eddie Jones’ team for the last year will mean that he will be familiar with the players in the wider squad and also know what they have been doing, which could help with any transition. Cockerill could also be interesting from a contractual point of view, as while I imagine that all the other names above would want a contract through to the end of 2027 with a guarantee of safety if things go wrong in France due to the quick turnaround, I could see Cockers being given a 1-year contract just to take the team through to the start of the next cycle, at which point they could assess the market and bring in the best name or choose to stick with him if things go well; or they could give him a 3-year contract, which would still give a replacement 2 years to establish themselves ahead of RWC2027.

Is there anyone else you feel should be in contention? Who do you want to see leading England in 2023?

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