England's debacle: Can't play, can't coach, can't run it

The search for Stuart Lancaster's replacement has begun poorly. Photo / Getty

England have made a rocky start in their quest for a new rugby coach.

Chief executive Ian Ritchie set the tone when he said money was no object in their recruitment drive for someone to succeed Stuart Lancaster after the side's poor World Cup.

That fattest wallet approach has failed England for the last decade with their decision to sign Lancaster as coach to 2020, shown up for what it was after he resigned/quit/was pushed.

No wonder England can't play the game, they can't run it either.

They have not covered themselves in Hope and Glory at administration level with Ritchie succeeding John Steele who was ousted in 2011 while Debbie Jevans who was appointed to deliver the Rugby World Cup, resigned six months before kickoff.

Rob Andrew has been director of elite rugby since 2006 then operations director - including a brief stand-in as national coach - which he described as being like managing director of the professional game.

He conducted the inquest in England's 2011 RWC failure and several weeks before the start of this year's event, voiced concerns that England's lack of experience would hurt them and he expected them to be at their peak in two years.

Since Clive Woodward signed off in 2004, England have picked Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton, Andrew Martin Johnson and Lancaster as coaches with a winning ratio of 53.8 per cent.

It is a group with a combined record of winning 70 of the 130 tests they oversaw with 2 draws and 58 losses.

Now England, according to Ritchie, want a coach with international experience as the names of Eddie Jones, Jake White, Woodward, Michael Cheika, Wayne Smith, Warren Gatland, Joe Schmidt, Nick Mallett and Uncle Whodhaveaclu are thrown into public arena.

The next coach will have an impact but for that to be sustained, England have to have leadership from the top down with systems and competitions which allow the game to develop at the elite level and through the grades.

Lancaster made some strange decisions on the doorstep of the World Cup but he also operated with a tourniquet around his plans.

England have the manpower to do some serious international damage but will not turn that raw material into consistent test results until they get clear directions from their administrators and sort out their congested competitions to give each layer of the game, time to deliver.