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LONDON - England coach Brian Ashton has been given an "indefinite" contract by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and said he was looking forward to the task ahead.
Ashton was retained as England coach yesterday after a post World Cup review and the RFU's director of elite rugby Rob Andrew said today he believed the 61-year-old was the man to take the team forward.
"It is very straightforward as far as the contractual situation is concerned. It is very much a long-term project," Andrew told a news conference.
"The contract is indefinite, with no time limit. Brian might be here in 2015. It has a notice period, like all contracts have."
Ashton, whose rolling 12-month contract was due to expire at the end of the month, steered England to the World Cup final in France against the odds after a terrible start but his coaching methods have been questioned by several senior players.
The RFU also announced that Ashton's assistant coaches Mike Ford and John Wells would remain in their jobs.
Ashton's immediate task is the 2008 Six Nations but he is already setting his sights on the 2011 World Cup.
"I'm obviously absolutely delighted to be asked to continue," the former Bath coach said. "I think we did exceptionally well to get to the final of the World Cup against a lot of people's expectations but it is no good saying we did that at the end of a 'fire fighting' year as that is not good enough.
"I look at the way forward in three stages. In 2008 there is the Six Nations and the New Zealand tour, the next period is to the end of the 2009 Argentina tour and then we ought to be in a good position to move forward to the 2011 World Cup."
- REUTERS
