• RFU set to appoint temporary coach for South Africa tour
• Farrell decides to stay with Saracens
England are set to appoint a temporary backs coach for the summer tour to South Africa after Andy Farrell put club before country and opted to remain with Saracens. Wayne Smith, a member of the All Blacks' World Cup-winning management team, is the favourite to succeed him in the long term.
Twickenham had been in talks with Saracens for two weeks about securing the release of Farrell from his contract as head coach, which had two years to run, but the dual-code international announced on Thursday that he wanted to stay put.
Farrell had made a big impression as part of the head coach Stuart Lancaster's caretaker management team in the Six Nations, along with Graham Rowntree, and the RFU was keen for the trio to remain together for the next three years, culminating in the 2015 World Cup, which England are hosting.
His decision to remain with Saracens leaves the Rugby Football Union with little time to find a backs coach for the three-Test tour to South Africa. It is likely to make an interim appointment and London Irish's Mike Catt and Alex King, the former England outside-half who is part of the coaching team at Clermont- Auvergne, are strong candidates. The RFU may opt to ask both of them to go on the tour as it was looking to expand the coaching team to help with the midweek matches. The former England head coach, Brian Ashton, is another option.
A temporary appointment would give the RFU time not only to speak to Smith, who is contracted to the Chiefs in Waikato but is able to exercise a release clause in October, but also establish whether he would be able to strike up a working relationship with Lancaster.
Smith has experience of English rugby after a stint as Northampton's director of rugby in the early 2000s and he was in line to take charge of England's backs had Nick Mallett beaten Lancaster in the duel to become head coach.
"I want to be involved in international rugby again," said Smith last month. "I like England and if there is an opportunity there I would be interested. The role of head coach did not suit my skill set because it looked like an elite performance job and I want to be involved in coaching."
The former Italy and Japan coach John Kirwan, who was not short listed for the head coach's position because of a perceived lack of experience, would be another candidate, but Lancaster will have a significant say in the appointment and whoever goes to South Africa will, like Lancaster in the Six Nations, have a prime opportunity to lay claim to the permanent position.