• Coach credited with improvement in England's defence
• Wish to fulfil two years of contract and 'finish the job'
Stuart Lancaster has suffered the first major set-back in his five months in charge of England with Andy Farrell's decision to remain at Saracens, forcing the break-up of the management team that inspired a remarkable rise from the ruins of the World Cup campaign in New Zealand.
Farrell was one of Lancaster's two assistants, along with Graham Rowntree, and was credited with organising a defensive effort that was the foundation for England to finish second in the Six Nations with their only defeat coming against the grand slam champions, Wales.
It was England's rapid recovery, together with the squad harmony fostered by the management, that persuaded the Rugby Football Union that Lancaster, who had been appointed on an interim basis after Martin Johnson had resigned as team manager little more than two months before the start of the Six Nations, was the man to take the team to the 2015 World Cup. It hoped that Rowntree and Farrell would stay on but while the former, who was in charge of the forwards, was a free agent Farrell had a two-year contract with Saracens. It was not just a matter of whether he wanted to leave the club but whether the Premiership champions would be prepared to release him.
Talks between the RFU and Saracens went on for two weeks and did not involve Farrell. The union could move only at the club's pace and money was not the issue. Farrell was known throughout his playing career as someone who placed a high value on loyalty and the club made clear, from the outset of the talks, that they did not want their head coach to go.
"Andy is a big part of our club and our future," said the Saracens chief executive, Edward Griffiths, at the end of last month. "The RFU asked if they could loan Andy Farrell for the Six Nations, which we did in the national interest. They made it very clear that it was just for the Six Nations. He is contracted to us for another two years and he is a massive part of what we're planning here as a club, and that's really the situation."
Farrell said on Thursday he was remaining with Saracens because he wanted to complete what he had started at the club. "The job isn't anywhere near half done and I have decided I want to help finish the job," he went on. "It has been a special privilege for me to be involved with the coaching staff for the past two and a half seasons. We have made decent progress during this period but, in truth, as a club, we have barely scratched the surface of our potential."
Farrell was minded to turn down England's approach of a temporary role last December because of the potential implications for Saracens. "His initial reaction was to say no because of his commitment to us," said the club's director of rugby, Mark McCall. "Our reaction was the opposite and we pushed him into it a little bit. It was a one-off opportunity we thought would be brilliant for him."
Farrell's decision means that Lancaster and the RFU have to find a coach to fill Farrell's position on the three-Test tour to South Africa this summer. It is a similar position to the one the Union found itself in after Johnson resigned, lacking enough time to find a permanent replacement.
"We will continue to work hard with Stuart Lancaster to build a world-class coaching team as we look towards the Rugby World Cup in 2015," said the RFU chief executive, Ian Ritchie. "Andy was an important part of the coaching team in the Six Nations and we fully respect his wishes to continue as a coach at Saracens."
Farrell, 36, is young enough to have another tilt with England and, if Saracens continue to progress as they have done since he became part of the coaching team in 2008, he will be a candidate to become the national head coach after 2015.
The gamble he has taken is that someone may have put themselves in a stronger position by then. The favourite to replace Farrell is Wayne Smith, who was part of New Zealand's management team for eight years until the end of last year having been the All Blacks' head coach earlier in the decade.
Smith, who spent two years as Northampton's director of rugby, would not be available until October, when he can exercise a release clause in his contract with the Chiefs in Waikato. The RFU would not foist him on Lancaster: the two would have to get to know each other, which is why the job is highly unlikely to be filled long-term until England return from South Africa.