Lancaster in it for the long haul
Interim coach Stuart Lancaster says he wants to take over the England job on a long-term basis after confirming that he will apply for the position advertised by the RFU.
"I will be applying. The job has been advertised. It's a good job and I am sure there will be a lot of interest worldwide and in England," said Lancaster, who has impressed RFU executives since taking over from Martin Johnson in a caretaker capacity.
The deadline for applications is February 15, just two matches into England's Six Nations title defence which starts next month.
"My hat will be in the ring," said Lancaster. "I love working with teams and trying to help players improve. The opportunity to do that at the highest level with England is fantastic."
Other names linked with the role include former South Africa and Italy boss Nick Mallett and former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith along with Northampton's director of rugby Jim Mallinder.
The RFU have given themselves until England's tour of South Africa in June to find a permanent successor to Johnson, who resigned following a poor campaign marred by disciplinary problems at the recent World Cup in New Zealand.
Lancaster said he was relaxed about the prospect of the hunt for a full-time successor to Johnson getting under way during the middle of the Six Nations.
"I knew when I took the job that it was an interim appointment and also knew that there was going to be a process to appoint a permanent head coach so it is not something I haven't expected," he said.
"I don't know the timelines beyond the 15th, we will just have to wait and see what happens after that.
"The priority for me is not about Stuart Lancaster and his individual position but about getting the team together, get a team cohesive and get the team to want to play hard together and represent the country well."
England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward said Lancaster, the former coach of the England Saxons development squad, was "lucky" to be elevated to the top job after limited experience of elite level rugby.
However, Lancaster was relaxed about the criticisms directed at him, saying he was confident that he had the experience to be England coach.
"There's a lot of people giving me advice. Fortunately, I'm confident in my own coaching philosophy to believe in the way I think things should be done," Lancaster said.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the opinions that really matter to me are those of the players, the leadership group, the management team and the people that surround the team.
"We want to be known as a humble, hard-working, honest team who graft and get on with the job and represent England with pride. The power of the nation behind you is a terrific force and we want to make sure the spectators feel excited about coming to watch and feel connected to us," he added.
AFP