Eddie Jones Should Sack Andy Farrell as England's Backs and Defence Coach
Eddie Jones, who replaced Stuart Lancaster as England rugby’s head coach at the start of this month, must decide whether to retain or release Lancaster’s two main lieutenants: forwards coach Graham Rowntree and backs and defence coach Andy Farrell. Here we will analyse the case for the backs and defence coach, and conclude that Jones and England should sack Farrell.
The Old Regime
Stuart Lancaster, as head coach, had ultimate responsibility for England’s abject 2015 Rugby World Cup performance, but Farrell was an important cog, too. It would be inconsistent of the RFU to allow Farrell to keep his job having removed Lancaster.
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Backs
England’s backs have improved during Farrell’s tenure, but this has more to do with the arrival of exciting young players such as George Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson than anything Farrell has done. The trio play for England as they did last season, but they are all under the tutelage of George Ford’s dad Mike at Bath.
Defence
England have generally defended well under Lancaster and Farrell, but the defensive setup was exposed by Wales and Australia at key moments in the Pool A encounters at the World Cup.
Wales’ winning try came from poor positioning from Brad Barritt in the wide areas. Barritt is more accustomed to working a few spots inside, but that should not excuse what was simple misalignment with the rest of the back line. This allowed Wales to play the ball wide and ultimately score through Gareth Davies.
Australia’s second try against England was a clear case of the Wallaby strategy team out-thinking England’s defence. It was as simple as Will Genia drawing the defenders one way, to wrong-foot them with an on-running attacker, Kurtley Beale, cutting against the grain.
It may seem harsh to single out these two moments, but they cost England a place in the quarter-finals of their home World Cup.
Fatherhood and selection
Another reason why Farrell may be unsuitable for the role is parenting: He has a son who plays in the key position in the area he coaches, and who is far from a guaranteed starter.
There were some sound rugby reasons to drop George Ford from the England team in favour of Owen Farrell against Wales in the second Pool A game, but given how Ford has provided the spark for England’s back line since his performance against Australia in November 2014, the switch was controversial.
As good a midfielder as Owen Farrell is, it can’t do much for the morale of players in his position to know that they need to oust the coach’s son to get into the England team. Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell have always maintained fatherhood plays no part, but subconsciously who knows?
Who could come in?
Although there are compelling reasons to sack Farrell, Eddie Jones must be sure the new coach is better than the incumbent and that the coaching group he chooses can gel together.
An interesting option would be Englishman, Shaun Edwards. Despite his contract with Wales due for renewal, Wales’ defensive guru initially appeared to be committed to Wales, but he has subsequently been more open about his future according to Alex Spink of the Mirror, who noted he is “open to offers.”
Edwards has been highly-regarded as a defence coach for a decade, but if the role requires oversight of the back line, the former Wasp coach may be overlooked.
Someone who would fit the dual role is Saracens’ Paul Gustard, ironically a colleague and friend of Farrell, who could cover both defence and attacking skills coaching. Michael Aylwin of the Guardian recently interviewed Gustard, and wrote:
"He has turned defence into an art form at Saracens. The Wolf Pack, as they have become known, must be about the only defensive unit in rugby to be celebrated with their own nickname. 'We have a defence honours board and we’re thinking about putting wolf-head logos on the shirts to represent players’ achievements. But there are so many sponsors we can’t find the space.'
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Farrell has had his chance, and he may get another in the future if he makes a big impact at club level, but for now, Eddie Jones and England need to replace him.
Shaun Edwards is the outstanding defence coach, but Jones may prefer the rounded skill set of Paul Gustard.
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