• Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree keen to continue
• Kiwi Wayne Smith may be recruited after the summer
Stuart Lancaster will tell the Rugby Football Union that he wishes to retain his entire current managerial team for England's summer tour of South Africa following his appointment as head coach until 2016. The RFU has yet to negotiate terms with Saracens over the release of assistant coach Andy Farrell but it is understood both Graham Rowntree and Farrell are keen to join Lancaster in his mission to steer England to victory in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Lancaster was formally relieved of his caretaker coat at Twickenham on Thursday but the RFU's chief executive, Ian Ritchie, said the precise long-term shape of the coaching team was still being debated. While Rowntree, the sole survivor of the previous regime, is already an RFU employee, Farrell is still contracted for two more seasons as Sarries' head coach. Talks with the London club will begin shortly, with the New Zealander Wayne Smith a potential candidate to support the existing trio later this year. Ritchie and Lancaster are also due to sit down and discuss the likely appointment of an experienced team manager later this year.
Ritchie, however, has "absolutely" ruled out the idea of installing an influential director of rugby figure as a buffer between Lancaster and himself. This effectively ends speculation linking Sir Clive Woodward with a high-profile return to the union following the London Olympics, although Ritchie still plans to conduct a review of the performance department where Rob Andrew still holds office. Given Andrew was on the advisory committee which helped select Lancaster, the former England fly-half's position would seem to have been strengthened slightly.
What is not in dispute is that Lancaster, after five Tests as interim coach, is the master of all he cares to survey. Ritchie made a point of stressing not just the 42-year-old's coaching qualities but his ability to "integrate" the national team with the leading English clubs, other representative teams and the game's grassroots. Lancaster has already worked as the RFU's head of elite player development and his in-depth knowledge of the next generation of English players clearly helped him to pip the former South Africa and Italy coach Nick Mallett to a job the Cumbrian calls "the pinnacle" of coaching. "It was a difficult choice but we believe we made absolutely the right one," Ritchie said. "I don't see it as a gamble. Stuart has shown throughout the Six Nations and subsequently in interview that he has the skills and vision needed in an England head coach."
Mallett was among many quick to offer his congratulations, stressing he felt the RFU had conducted a "most professional" interview process. "I gave it my best shot and was glad to be able to discuss my feelings and philosophy on how I'd have coached the team," said Mallett, wishing Lancaster well. "I am sure he will continue to build on the good work he has done with the team in the aftermath of a difficult World Cup for them."
Woodward also wished Lancaster and the team "continued success" while a succession of England players queued up to applaud the RFU's decision. "In all his dealings with the squad during the Six Nations Stuart displayed a real empathy with the players, earning their respect and trust, and a vision for how he wanted England to play," said the England captain Chris Robshaw. "The players responded to him and the results are there for all to see." Danny Cipriani, excluded from the England set-up during the Martin Johnson regime, tweeted from Melbourne: "Congratulations to Stuart Lancaster. His passion is 2nd to none …"
England's Six Nations record of four wins from five matches clearly enhanced Lancaster's CV but his looming challenge will be to improve the national team's record against leading southern hemisphere opposition. England will undertake a three-Test tour to South Africa in June, with a 40-strong squad set to be named on 8 May, after which Lancaster will reassess his backroom options. "I'm open-minded," he stressed. "I don't want to be stretched so thinly I end up not achieving anything. Whether that means a team manager or another coach … I need time to look at that. I wouldn't see huge changes in South Africa but after that there is a period of breathing space."
Lancaster, a former PE teacher who enjoyed a modest playing career as a back-row forward with Leeds, also said he would consult his predecessor Johnson for tips. "I've still got a good relationship with him and I'm sure at some point we'll have a chat. I'll use every source available to make sure England are as prepared as possible."
Ritchie, meanwhile, reiterated his belief England would be stronger contenders for the 2015 World Cup than they were in New Zealand. "We have appointed somebody who we felt would put us in the best place to be competitive to win the World Cup. Nationality was irrelevant."