Farrell turns down England offer

Saracens coach Andy Farrell has turned down the chance to be a permanent member of the England coaching staff in favour of staying with Saracens.

Farrell assisted England boss Stuart Lancater during the Six Nations as part of the caretaker staff, but despite Lancater getting the job full-time, Farrell is happy at Saracens.

"It has been a special privilege for me to be involved in the Saracens coaching staff for the past two-and-half seasons," Farrell said.

"We have made decent progress during this period but, in truth, as a club, we have barely scratched the surface of our potential. The job isn't anywhere near half done, and I have decided I want to help finish the job."

The RFU CEO Ian Ritchie said: "Whilst Andy was clearly an important part of the coaching team during the course of the Six Nations, we fully respect his wishes to continue as a coach at Saracens.

"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."

Graham Rowntree will stay on as the England forwards coach, with New Zealander Wayne Smith the new favourite to become the new backline coach.