Andy Robinson’s future as England head coach is looking increasingly tenuous after the Rugby Football Union announced that he would not be attending a meeting of World Cup coaches beginning in Paris tomorrow.
Robinson had been due to go to the three-day seminar along with England team manager Vivienne Brown.
The announcement by the RFU is the clearest indication yet that Twickenham top brass will be looking for a new man to lead the holders into next year’s showpiece event.
Robinson, though, is still coach for now, though an announcement to confirm his fate looks likely on Tuesday.
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Robinson and senior RFU figures had talks at Twickenham on Monday in the wake of England’s miserable autumn Test series when they suffered defeats against New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.
The debrief will continue, but with the RFU’s latest announcement the only remaining question regarding Robinson’s future appears to be: Will he resign or wait to be sacked?
It was announced on the BBC yesterday that the RFU had decided that Robinson’s time as England coach was to be terminated, yet, though this remains likely to be the case, he does still have one influential sympathiser in the form of Rob Andrew, the RFU’s elite director of rugby.
After the post-match dinner on Saturday, Andrew was involved in late, informal talks with Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, and John Spencer, the chairman of Club England. Of the three, Baron is most enthusiastic to bring change to the regime.
Robinson’s tenure was almost ended after the defeat by Argentina 16 days ago, and it was Andrew who stuck by him then. While Andrew, along with the 80,000 who booed Robinson at Twickenham, can see the clear weaknesses in the team, it is believed that he is loath to change the coaching set-up largely because he can see no preferable alternative.
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Some factions hope that Robinson will make the process easier by resigning, but he has made it extremely clear that this is not in his thinking.
“I’m not walking away. I’m standing my ground,” were his defiant words on Saturday night. He is unlikely to change that stance if for no other reason than that his financial package would be better if he is pushed than if he goes of his own accord.
- With files from Owen Slot, Chief Sports Reporter
Numbers up
60 Players capped by Andy Robinson
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20 Newcomers capped by Robinson
4 Captains
9 Games won
13 Games lost