England formally approved the reappointment of Brian Ashton and his coaching assistants last night, but there was no great sense of triumphalism at Twickenham. The prospect of Shaun Edwards trotting off to assist Wales is causing considerable soul-searching within the English Rugby Football Union (RFU), and a grim day on the disciplinary and injury front also contributed to a noticeably defensive mood.
A sparse statement confirming the open secret of Ashton's new contract unsurprisingly made no mention of Edwards' reluctance to accept a modest role coaching the second-string England Saxons team in favour of rejoining his old Wasps pal, Warren Gatland, in Cardiff on a part-time basis. He is due to give his final answer today, but there is a sense the RFU have offered him too little too late.
Rob Andrew, the RFU's elite rugby director, will hold a media conference with Ashton this lunchtime to flesh out the details of the latter's fresh deal, as well as the precise reasons for re-employing John Wells and Mike Ford. He will be well aware, however, of the groundswell of opinion within English rugby that allowing the highly-rated Edwards to go to work with Wales would represent a missed opportunity of the highest order.
As a result, Andrew finds himself caught in classic Catch-22 territory. If he extols Edwards' talents and somehow persuades him to take the Saxons role, even a respected coach like Ford will be entitled to feel undermined. If, on the other hand, England wave off Edwards across the Severn Bridge the decision will probably come back to haunt them.
The issue of whether England should have a manager figure to support Ashton with off-field duties will also be the subject of renewed questioning. Andrew has opted to wait to see how the Six Nations goes, but insisted he was happy with the recommendations approved by the RFU management board, following a World Cup review which involved consultations with players and coaches.
The first date on the calendar, apart from the naming of the senior and A squads early in the New Year, will be Monday, January 21st, when England are due to have a get-together ahead of their normal build-up to the game with Wales at Twickenham on February 2nd. Time is already short, which may help explain why Andrew decided not to tinker with the coaching team.
Meanwhile, Bristol scrumhalf Shaun Perry will be enjoying an uncomfortable Christmas after requiring an operation to repair damaged ligaments in his windpipe. The 29-year-old Perry was injured in the opening minutes of last Sunday's European Cup victory over Harlequins at the Memorial Stadium, but stayed on the field for the whole game. He is likely to be out for at least a month.
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