The president of the RFU, Jason Leonard, has defended the composition of the organisation’s review panel into England’s World Cup failure, dismissing suggestions that Stuart Lancaster will not be judged impartially.
Lancaster’s fate will be decided by a five-man panel including the RFU chief executive, Ian Ritchie, and the former Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan. Both men approved the permanent appointment of Lancaster as England head coach three years ago and – along with Ben Kay, Ian Metcalfe and Ian Watmore – must now rule on his future.
The absence of the 2003 World Cup winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward, on the panel has been questioned by some, including Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Greenwood, but Leonard, speaking in Trafalgar Square at an O2 touch rugby event on Tuesday, insisted that people within the game who had “gravitas” would be spoken to.
“I’m pretty sure the panel will go to everybody they possibly can within probably a tight timeframe. People with gravitas will be spoken to. We welcome their views,” said Leonard, who is England’s most capped player and has been the RFU president since July, but is not on the panel. “I think the team will learn and be better for this. Everyone talks about 2003, we lost big games on the way to the World Cup.
“The panel has been made up by Ian Ritchie, so it’s Ian’s choice. But I’m a little bit mystified that someone would perhaps question the integrity of Sir Ian McGeechan, about his rugby knowledge. I find that a little bit weird.
“If there is one person beyond reproach in that aspect it would be Sir Ian McGeechan. The whole thing about the panel, and they’ve got an open remit, is to go and talk to whoever they feel can add some benefit to the debate about what went wrong and possible solutions. Sir Ian will do what’s right, I’ve no doubt about that.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing [that went wrong]. It might well be a number of little things that added up. On the training sessions that I saw, they were fit, strong and having fun. The coaches and players were getting on well. It comes down to small margins.”
Jason Robinson, the former England wing, believes Woodward will be involved in the rebuilding process at some point. “He might not be in there at the moment but I’m sure that at some point he will be. It does make sense. Wherever you can learn something or get better, if you can bring somebody in to help you then surely it’s got be good for the future of the game. I think we need to get back to the core skills,” he said.
The total attendance at the World Cup has been 2.3 million and despite England’s early exit from the competition, which resulted in a disappointing dead-rubber fixture in Manchester against Uruguay, organisers have been keen to emphasise the competition’s long-term impact.
Leonard said he had received numerous indications that the World Cup will create a lasting legacy. “You’ll always get asked if England getting knocked out will affect legacy, we can’t see it at this moment in time,” said Leonard. “There are thousands more kids enjoying the game. Each city has embraced it and there has been great work with local communities. You’re seeing true legacy now while the tournament is on but we know for a fact that it will be sustainable.”
