- Both England and Wales have never got the director of rugby position right
- Join Mail+ to read World of Rugby every Monday, exclusive scoops in Rugby Confidential every Wednesday and the best in-depth reporting
It was surprising and flattering to hear my name suggested for a possible director of rugby role with the Welsh Rugby Union, but I’m sorry to disappoint those over the Severn Bridge. The answer is a firm no!
I owe Stephen Jones of The Sunday Times a drink for putting me forward. However, it’s not a position I’m interested in now for any country. I’ve moved on.
It’s one I’d have loved maybe 10 years ago, especially at Twickenham, but not today.
However, with Wales and Warren Gatland in real trouble – yesterday’s defeat by Australia was their 11th straight loss – and now with England clearly struggling to take that next step, there is a valid debate to be had as to whether or not they should have someone in such a position. The answer for both countries is absolutely, yes.
Neither the RFU nor the WRU have a strong figure with experience of the international game in a senior position working alongside their respective head coaches. In Gatland, Wales have a very, very experienced boss.
His know-how from being in charge of hundreds of Tests means there is little he hasn’t seen or done. But even a man of Gatland’s calibre needs a strong figure to work alongside, especially at such a difficult time for Welsh rugby.
Even a manager of Warren Gatland’s calibre needs a strong figure to work alongside
Wales and Gatland are in real trouble with their defeat by Australia their 11th straight loss
At the other end of the experience scale, England head coach Steve Borthwick is just starting out in international rugby. He doesn’t yet have the knowledge of Gatland. That will come in time. But at the moment, the RFU does not have a strong rugby figure he can rely on or lean on for support.
Neither chief executive Bill Sweeney nor Conor O’Shea – who is technically the RFU’s executive director of performance rugby – have the experience or expertise to help Borthwick. And therein lies the problem.
It’s totally of the RFU’s own making and it really is embarrassing. Sweeney clearly wants to hold the director of rugby responsibilities, but he is no more than a fan with zero knowledge of Test rugby.
As a result, the RFU conveniently relies upon anonymous committees for big rugby decisions. If you are not willing to put your name and reputation on the line, you have no business being near the England team. It epitomises the cosy culture of the RFU.
The same is true with Gatland in Wales. Nigel Walker is the WRU’s executive director of rugby, but to me he seems to be struggling in his role. He is completely out of his depth. Welsh rugby hasn’t been helped by a series of off-field scandals and political issues.
Gatland was brought back and expected to work the same magic he achieved previously with Wales, but the landscape is very different now to the past and requires a different approach.
It is hard for me to say just how important I think it is for international rugby governing bodies to have strong and transparent leadership. It’s something neither the RFU nor the WRU has.
You could make a good argument to say the director of rugby role is even more important than the head coach today because it encapsulates far more than just the men’s national team. It’s a position England and Wales have never got right.
The RFU don’t have a strong rugby figure that Steve Borthwick can lean on for support – and anonymous committees should be nowhere near the England national rugby team
Neither chief executive Bill Sweeney nor Conor O’Shea have the expertise to help Borthwick
The WRU should look to bring in a heavyweight character to head up their rugby operation
While it won’t be me, I think the WRU really should look to bring in a heavyweight character to head up their rugby operation, regardless of whether Gatland stays or not. Walker’s position looks precarious – to say the least – on the back of the controversy surrounding the process of re-contracting Wales’ women’s players.
I would urge Wales to look at the great Sam Warburton as someone to consider.
The best example of the success that an international team can have by employing a strong director of rugby is South Africa. Having won back-to-back World Cups, the Springboks have had unprecedented joy with Rassie Erasmus working alongside Jacques Nienaber.
They have created a system that totally prioritises the South African national side. Erasmus is now back as head coach after Nienaber joined Leinster, but I don’t think he is that hands on.
He oversees the operation and lets the coaches below him do the work.
Both England and Wales could learn a lot from the way the Springboks have gone about things.
