England have turned to their former head coach Brian Ashton for expert advice on how to sharpen their attacking game before next week’s Test against the All Blacks. Ashton has spent the past two days observing the squad’s training camp at the invitation of the coach, Stuart Lancaster, and will also be at Twickenham on Saturday week.
Ashton, who coached England to the 2007 Rugby World Cup final before being replaced by Martin Johnson, has long been a confidant and friend of Lancaster and remains one of the most creative rugby thinkers around. He has also worked extensively over the years with the squad’s attacking skills coach, Mike Catt.
Lancaster was quick to stress Ashton is not about to be recalled as a full-time member of the national coaching panel but he is keen to explore all avenues to ensure England keep improving in the build-up to next year’s World Cup: “He’s a very creative attacking coach. That was a point of reference. It’s good just to bounce ideas off him and clearly he’s worked closely with Catty for a long time. He’s an experienced coach and it’s good for us to have someone like that around. I think he’s enjoyed it.”
From Lancaster’s perspective Ashton’s input will also improve England’s chances of entering next month’s autumn series with a positive mental attitude. “He had a big influence on me as a coach,” Lancaster said. “When I was an academy manager at Leeds he was in charge of the national academy and played a big part in shaping a lot of coaches’ philosophies and influencing their mindset.
“He’s developed a lot of players, but also a lot of coaches. He’s somebody I’ve always stayed in contact with. After the New Zealand tour we had a chat about the games and I invited him in to get his thoughts on what we’re doing. It’s not something that will be a regular occurrence.”
England are resigned to being without the Northampton centre Luther Burrell for the New Zealand fixture. Burrell does not need surgery on his hand injury but is not expected to resume training before next week at the earliest.
The management remain hopeful half a dozen other players will be fit to train fully by next Monday. Joe Marler (quad), Billy Vunipola (concussion), Kyle Eastmond (rib cartilage) and Marland Yarde (ankle) missed training on Tuesday while the flanker James Haskell and the prop David Wilson are recovering from a virus and a tight calf respectively.
Lancaster is refusing to use England’s lengthy injury list as an excuse for a sub-par autumn. “We don’t want to create any excuses or reasons why we shouldn’t perform. We have got to turn up and deliver. We have been together now for two and a half years. When we meet up now we don’t have to go back to square one.”
