Andrew Mulligan: Deans the man to restore Red Rose

Robbie Deans has the nous, experience and demeanour to do a job for England. Photo / Getty Images

Is there a more credible coach to lead the English rugby team than Robbie Deans among those willing and able to do it?

Graham Henry? No. Wayne Smith? Can he do it from near Putaruru? Don't think so. Warren Gatland? Vern Cotter? Joe Schmidt? Not worth their lives. Eddie Jones perhaps, or Jake White but Deans is the one for England.

He was a successful Super Rugby coach, did the job for Australia, all things considered, and has the certainty of a game plan that would suit the English. He wouldn't be easily swayed (bullied) into decisions from above like Stuart Lancaster apparently was with Sam Burgess.

Deans would still have them playing the expansive game Lancaster wanted to adopt but wouldn't mess around when the game tightened up and would not have players out of position, leading the team. He'd also make sure the kit man wasn't larking as an after-hours day trader and would find ways to include the likes of Dylan Hartley, Manu Tuilagi and Steffon Armitage.

The main problem he'd face would be self-interest from England's clubs because the power game away from the pitch is Northern Hemisphere rugby's real problem. But his nous, experience and demeanour would be perfect for the role.

And when I say demeanour, I don't mean like Jones or Michael Cheika.

If there's one thing the English rugby press love, it's a quote, and they loved Cheika and Jones because they were so quote-worthy. Deans is not about filling column space with quips and banter. What he'd be good at is identifying young talent and emphasising "too much weights, not enough speed-work" and skills.

Oh, they need skills. The All Blacks have refined the art of offloading and re-phasing play. Shifting the ball is possible for England, with the right players, but with Deans, it would be a little more circumspect.

As successful a coach as Lancaster was, he didn't implement a clear plan that demanded people's attention by saying "this is England rugby".

Gatland and Schmidt have done it with Wales and Ireland respectively and Cotter is working on it with Scotland. England have the resources to build an experienced team by the next World Cup in 2019.

This year's All Blacks campaign taught them to be patient through pool play when they knew they could execute in the knockout rounds, while the experience of the Wallabies got them through arguably the hardest path a World Cup finalist has faced.

The average age and experience of the two teams in the final was the telling statistic leading into the last day of October in England - know how to get there and then know how to win.

By 2019, Deans would have sorted the gym bunnies from the skilled players and developed a talent tool to rival New Zealand's. He would not have the distractions of a Sam Burgess-type situation but even if he did, Brad Thorn's development at the Crusaders showed Deans can establish the right culture for a league convert with the right attitude to thrive. There wouldn't be any money-chasing converts on Deans' watch, that's for sure.