Ashton keeps his job ... for now
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:35
Staying: Brian Ashton (left) and John Wells
Brian Ashton will continue as England head coach for the foreseeable future. This is one of the recommendations contained in an interim report from Rob Andrew, the Director of Elite Rugby at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
Twickenham's top brass assembled on Wednesday for a meeting to decide Ashton's future and after discussing Andrew's review of the just completed Six Nations campaign - where England finished second, their best performance since 2003 - they gave Ashton a stay of execution.
Andrew's report came just three months after he completed his detailed assessment of the 2007 World Cup performances and recommended that Ashton, plus his coaching lieutenants John Wells and Mike Ford, continue in their posts.
However, the giant figure of England's 2003 World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson is now lurking larger than ever.
Johnson met with Andrew last week to discuss a possible managerial role and in a media release issued on Wednesday the RFU confirmed that the position of team manager will come up for discussion - even though they did not mention Johnson by name.
In the statement the RFU Management Board said that at its scheduled monthly meeting it "received and discussed" an interim report from Andrew and John Spencer.
"The Management Board congratulated the England senior team in finishing second in the Six Nations, a significant improvement on previous years," the statement said.
"The Board also congratulated the England Saxons on their unbeaten results and the England Under-20 team on achieving the Grand Slam. Special mention was also made of the England Women's team on their outstanding achievement in winning a third Grand Slam in a row.
"The Management Board accepted Rob Andrew's interim report and was unanimous in authorising him to continue the discussions currently under way to strengthen the England team structure through the recruitment of a Team Manager and an additional specialist coach.
"Recommendations on these appointments will be made to a Club England meeting in early April, who will then make final recommendations to the RFU Management Board which will convene, as necessary, an additional meeting ahead of its scheduled meeting on the 30 April to consider these recommendations."
It had been felt in some circles that Ashton may be relieved of his duties on Wednesday and that could yet happen in the future.
However, for now he will continue with the figure of Johnson lurking as his possible team manager.
While there was no mention of Johnson in the RFU statement, he is widely expected to be the man to fill the role of team manager.
And pundits feel that Johnson - a strong personality who will insists on taking an active role in team matters rather than being a figurehead - may be the catalyst that pushes Ashton out of the picture.
rugby365 staff
