Lancaster looks to Premiership

England coach Stuart Lancaster plans to employ Premiership coaches on the team's tour of Argentina in June.

Lancaster will travel to Argentina without incumbent assistants Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree as they will be on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia.

The England coach will thus be without his deputies and he has confirmed that he will approach the Professional Game Board (PGB) for permission to talk to some of the Premiership's coaches to secure temporary replacements for Rowntree and Farrell.

It is likely that Lancaster will look to clubs who will miss the play-offs as England face the Barbarians just 24 hours after the Premiership final.

According to the Rugby Paper, Bath's Toby Booth and Exeter's Rob Baxter are the leading candidates but Lancaster must first get the permission of the PGB before he starts to assemble his temporary backroom staff.

"I need people who, ideally, are available for the Barbarians week," Lancaster told the Rugby Paper. "The Premiership final is that week so that makes it difficult, but we will have to see.

“There are lots of good English coaches coaching in the Premiership who I think would be excited by the opportunity."

Lancaster also confirmed that England will play midweek fixtures while on tour in Argentina.

"We'll take a four or five man coaching team, and we'll be taking a midweek team to Argentina, too, so it won't be dissimilar to what we did in South Africa," Lancaster added.

"It is a great opportunity for the coaches concerned and I obviously need to make sure I get the right fit that replicates the strengths of Andy and Graham."