ANDY FARRELL has resigned as Saracens coach just a month and a half after turning down a job as England backs coach to stay with the Premiership club.
"We are sorry to see Andy leave and we wish him well in the future," chairman Nigel Wray said on the club's website ( www.saracens.com) yesterday.
Farrell was interim backs coach in England boss Stuart Lancaster’s staff during the last Six Nations tournament, but said in April he had decided to remain at Saracens for the foreseeable future.
The 36-year-old former rugby league and union international, and father of England player Owen Farrell, will not be rejoining Lancaster’s backroom staff.
“There has been a bit of speculation about Andy Farrell’s resignation from Saracens but I want to categorically confirm that he won’t be joining us out here as part of the coaching team,” Lancaster told a news conference in Durban.
“I always said that I would look at my coaching team at the end of this tour and that situation remains the same.”
England’s three-test tour of South Africa starts in Durban on June 9th.
Former England winger Ben Cohen feels the tour in South Africa may simply serve as a “fact-finding” mission for Lancaster, with match results being of little real significance.
Lancaster and his players left on Wednesday for their first tour abroad under the 42-year-old.
Cohen has no doubt the group will be geared up to try and win the games, but believes performances will be the most important thing at this early stage of the build-up to the 2015 World Cup.
“It is a big ask and I think it is going to be a tough test but a good test,” said Cohen, who won the World Cup with England in 2003 and announced his retirement from playing last year.
“There is more than three years until the next World Cup and it will be good to see who is going to react and how they perform under pressure.
“Now that Stuart has got the job, it is about how he and his staff are going to manage that transition and get players to perform, play in a system and bring them on to compete against the best teams in the world. They have talent in abundance, so let’s see if they can use it.”
Elsewhere, 18-time French league champions Toulouse host Castres today in the first of the weekend’s Top 14 semi-finals.
“Toulouse have dominated rugby for 20 years,” said Castres captain and number eight Chris Masoe.
“However, Castres have not pinched someone’s spot. Outsiders, yes. Unlikely invitees, no. We’re no longer the surprise invitee as we’ve heard before.”
Tomorrow, big spenders Clermont play Toulon and the latter’s president, Mourad Boudjellal, is in no doubt over his club’s chances.
“We have no chance of winning it . . . Toulon is far from being favourite, while Clermont have shone all season. Come Sunday, we have nothing to lose.
“No matter what you say, Clermont are in a different economic league than us.”
