It’s who they choose, not howthey coach that counts
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THE rehabilitation of Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell is in full flow, with former critics falling over each other to heap praise on them. The fawning following their success on the other side of the Irish Sea – Farrell as Ireland defence coach, and Lancaster as Leinster senior coach – even extends to expressions of surprise that the RFU have not hot-footed it to their front doors to ensure their return to Twickenham after the 2019 World Cup.
There is no reason not to wish the former Red Rose coaching duo well in their new ventures in Ireland following the trauma and disappointment that enveloped them after England’s pool exit as hosts of the 2015 World Cup. However, given that it is only three years since that calamity, it is premature for them to be reinstated despite the rapidity with which they have reconstructed their coaching careers in Dublin.
Their stock is high as part of a structure which has seen Ireland supplant England as the main Six Nations power, and with good reason. Yet, the nature of England’s 2015 failure, where the RFU were culpable of giving two inexperienced coaches the chance to embark on an international learning curve in the only chance they will have to host the tournament for a quarter of a century, rules them out for now.
So does the fact that neither of them have, until now, been in jobs in Ireland where the buck stops with them.
That has changed recently with Farrell installed as the head coach-elect of Ireland with Joe Schmidt due to return to New Zealand next year to take over from Steve Hansen. Lancaster has also been linked with the men in green following the testimony of those in the Leinster inner circle, whether players, fellow coaches, or administrators, that he is an excellent hands-on coach.
The praise for both Englishmen has been fulsome and hard-earned. Farrell has galvanised an Irish defence which was good under Les Kiss into a formidable obstacle.
Farrell did the same for the 2017 Lions, halting New Zealand’s capacity to score at will in its tracks, with the hosts having to rely on penalty kicks in their second Test defeat. It was an outstanding achievement given that he had only seven weeks in which to work, even allowing for the familiarity among the Irish and English Lions with the system he put in place.
Either side of that drawn Lions series there have been Irish victories over New Zealand. The latest came last month in Dublin when Farrell’s defence again left the All Blacks try-less, while Ireland’s landmark first win over New Zealand in Chicago in 2016 posted early notice that the press defence devised by Farrell would turn them into genuine World Cup contenders.
The Irish capacity to squeeze the life out of the double world champions has established Farrell as the best defence coach in the world, and understandably it has made his promotion to replace Schmidt an attractive proposition for the Irish Union.
Lancaster’s progress has also made the headlines even though it has been at provincial/ club level rather than in the international sphere. That shortfall is offset by the qualities of a Leinster side that regularly fields up to 11 Irish internationals in their starting line-up.
Since Lancaster joined Leinster at the start of the 2016 season they have been on an upward trajectory, which included winning a European Cup and PRO14 ‘double’ last season. The Cumbrian says he has treasured the opportunity to return fully to coaching, and admits that he was side-tracked into becoming too much of an administrator as England head coach.
His attention to detail and clarity has won him plaudits and he has combined very effectively with Leo Cullen, who retains the title of Leinster head coach, and is chief selector. This is a very important distinction, and it also applies to Farrell in the Ireland camp, where Schmidt is the head coach and chief selector.
Lancaster and Farrell have shown their ability as coaches by improving the richly talented generation of players nurtured by the Irish provinces and their academies, but neither have yet to venture into the potentially choppy waters of selection.
The most controversial aspect of their tenure with England from 2012 to 2015 was selection, with Lancaster having the final say but Farrell also having a significant input as backs coach.
“Lancaster and Farrell have yet to venture into the potentially choppy waters of selection”
There is no point in going into an exhaustive replay of the selection shortcomings that brought England crashing down in 2015. However, there are factors that stand out and bear repetition.
The decision by Lancaster and Farrell to include Sam Burgess in their plans for 2015 became a massive distraction.
The transition plan to convert Burgess from Rugby League to international Rugby Union within a year was incoherent. Bath played Burgess at centre before moving him to blindside, whereas England wanted him at insidecentre.
The knock-on effects were considerable, with the frustration in the Bath dressing room at the Burgess special project spreading to England after the midfield was reorganised going into the decisive games against Wales and Australia.
This saw Owen Farrell moved from 12 to fly-half with George Ford benched, and Brad Barritt shifted from 12 to 13 against Wales to accommodate Burgess, and then back to 12 again for the Australia match.
The late tinkering was savagely exposed by Australia. So was the failure to find an openside flanker, with Matt Kvesic jettisoned despite Lancaster earmarking him after the 2013 tour of Argentina. Instead, he opted for blindside/captain Chris Robshaw at openside, and in a tournament in which breakdown turnovers were a significant factor England were caught short when he was blitzed by the Wallaby duo Michael Hooper and David Pocock.
Elsewhere in the back row, James Haskell’s face did not fit, and Billy Vunipola was not utilised fully – yet in the seven months after the World Cup they were an integral part of a recast back row under Eddie Jones which, with Robshaw at 6, won a Grand Slam and whitewashed Australia 3-0 in an away series.
This week Lancaster said he was not thinking of England, but instead was planning to meet Farrell in Dublin in the near future. They are both older, wiser, more experienced coaches than they were when in charge of England, but the biggest test facing them – and Farrell in particular as Ireland head coach – will be who to pick, and where, when and why to do it.
Getting the selection matrix right has always been the most important part of a head coach’s job, and in Farrell’s case – and probably Lancaster’s before long – it will dictate how successful they are going forward. Selection is an area where, despite their recent successes, both have ground to make up.
