As England’s rugby team gears up for the upcoming World Cup, head coach Steve Borthwick has been dealt a blow with the news that former All Black Nick Evans will not be joining the coaching staff.
Borthwick had hoped to have Evans, 42, as part of his team as the attack coach, but the Harlequins club has refused to release him.
During the Six Nations earlier this year, Harlequins had allowed Evans to leave on secondment to work with England, but they have now decided against repeating the arrangement.
The Telegraph reported that Harlequins felt it would be unreasonable to disrupt their preparations for the 2023-24 season by releasing Evans once again.
Evans’ absence will mean that England’s players will have to adapt to their fifth attack coach in as many years, which could potentially impact their preparation for the World Cup.
Harlequins’ refusal to release Evans also comes after the appointment of Felix Jones, who will be joining Borthwick’s coaching team from South Africa after the conclusion of the World Cup, which seems to have further complicated the situation.
It is understood that Harlequins would not have stood in Evans’ way if England had offered him a permanent role, but with Jones’ impending arrival, it appears that the opportunity for Evans to join England’s coaching staff has passed for now.
Borthwick and his team will have to regroup and find alternative solutions as they continue their preparations for the World Cup, which is now just five months away.
“Horror draw” – England get pool of death in revised World Cup draw
The recently released World Rugby Rankings highlight the absurdity of the Pool Draw for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2023, which was determined three years in advance and appears to be heavily skewed.
In response to criticism, World Rugby has announced that future pool draws for the Rugby World Cup will be conducted closer to the start of the tournament, as the current practice of relying on team rankings at the time of the draw is deemed unfair.
According to a report by the Mirror, World Rugby will make changes to the pool draw process for the 2027 edition.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Australia