STUART LANCASTER faces the first hurdle of his regime as England coach after the Rugby Football Union (RFU) failed in their attempts to recruit Andy Farrell from Saracens.
Lancaster had told the RFU he wanted to keep in place the interim management team that helped guide England to second place in the Six Nations.
While forwards coach Graham Rowntree is already on the Twickenham payroll, the RFU have been in negotiations with Saracens over Farrell’s release for the last fortnight.
Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths said at the outset he wanted a quick resolution to avoid the issue becoming a distraction over the closing weeks of the season.
The English Premiership champions yesterday announced that Farrell had decided to remain with the club.
“It has been a special privilege for me to be involved in the Saracens coaching staff for the past two-and-a-half seasons,” Farrell said in a statement. “We have made decent progress during this period but, in truth, as a club, we have barely scratched the surface of our potential. I have decided I want to help finish the job.”
Farrell’s decision is a serious blow to Lancaster, who must now decide how to replace him in time for England’s three-test summer tour of South Africa.
