"Very special" - Lawrence Dallaglio demands England appoint new coach

Saturday, 19 March 2022 at 11:06

byRugby Rucker

Lawrence Dallaglio has demanded the RFU move to appoint Shaun Edwards.

The former England international is fed up of seeing the erial trophy-winner inspire England's opponents to success as he once again stands on the brink of a Grand Slam with France

Writing in his Evening Standard column, he said: "I know him from his time at Wasps, and can confidently assert that he is a very special man and coach.

"He has won trophies wherever he has been, with Wigan in rugby league, and Wasps and Wales in rugby union. I suspect that he is about to add a title with France, too. That is if there’s space in his trophy cabinet. He has won more than 50 titles as a player and coach across the codes.

"He has given France a hard edge and has an unique way of communicating — a perfect balance of head and heart — with players, who automatically respect and like him for his achievements.

"At some stage, I would like the RFU to remember that he is in fact English and get him coaching our national team, rather than all their close rivals one by one."

When is France v England?

Saturday, March 19.

What time is kick-off?

8pm GMT.

What TV channel is France v England on?

The match at the Stade de France will be on ITV.

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England next head coach odds (Oddschecker)

#5. Andy Farrell - 22/1

The irony with Farrell is that he is arguably the most obvious candidate and fits the role as well as anyone, but he might be the toughest for the RFU to land due to his long-term deal with Ireland.

#4. Scott Robertson - 18/1

Roberson is one of the most revered coaches in the southern hemisphere. The 46-year-old is a serial winner and has all the tools to bring back the insatiable winning mentality which has been missing for Eddie Jones' men of late.

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#3. Rob Baxter - 10/1

Baxter is rapidly approaching the 12th anniversary of his time in charge at Exeter Chiefs and it may be difficult to prize him away from that. But there is no doubt about his credentials; his time in charge at the Chiefs has seen the club change beyond recognition.

#2. Warren Gatland - 3/1

Should they go in the direction of Gatland, they would get a man with incredible international experience who helped change the face of Welsh rugby during his 12 years in charge of the country up to 2019. With a host of international honours to his name and an already extensive knowledge of English talent thanks to his continued involvement with the Lions, this would arguably be the most risk free option on this list.

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#1. Rassie Erasmus - 2/1

He conquered the world with South Africa in 2019 and the only logical next step after such a feat would be to take the grandest and most high-profile job in world rugby. It is not a far-fetched notion, either; reports in the South African press last year suggested that Erasmus had held talks with the RFU about succeeding Jones, which were subsequently denied. He'd also been recently linked with Harlequins.