Robinson holds on in England shake-up

The English RFU have made swingeing changes to the senior management coaching structure of the national side.

Head coach Andy Robinson has survived but three of his assistants, Joe Lydon, Dave Alred and Phil Larder have been removed from their positions.

Larder, who masterminded England's defensive strategy and structure for their World Cup triumph in 2003 amongst other successes and also worked with the Lions, has been made one of the possible scapegoats for England's poor showing in the Six Nations Championship.

The England and Lions kicking coach Alred has also been removed while Lydon - he was in charge of England's attacking gambits - has been offered employment elsewhere, at the RFU's National Academy. Robinson will remain as head coach with revised responsibilities, with three new coaches to assist him.

He will have new forwards, attack and defence coaches, with John Wells, Brian Ashton (ex-Ireland coach) and Mike Ford contenders for those roles.

Ford, formerly Ireland's defensive coach, is believed to be the man earmarked to take over from his former mentor Larder.

The affable former rugby league player left his position with Ireland to join Saracens where he is the head coach. However, with Alan Gaffney's arrival at the club as director of rugby, Ford could either leave for the national post, or in the unusual case that the RFU would permit it, fulfil both roles.

Ford did a fine job with Ireland and also made a huge impression when defensive coach for the midweek side during last year's Lions tour to New Zealand.

The Irish link with the newly constructed England set-up is continued with the confirmation that former Terenure College, Lansdowne, Leinster, London Irish and Ireland fullback Conor O'Shea, director of regional academies with the RFU, will be promoted to national academy director from June 1st, while national academy coaches Tosh Askew and Damian McGrath will be released along with David Shaw, head of regional academy operations.

It represents a significant endorsement of the work O'Shea is doing to improve the underage structures in English rugby. Robinson has been lucky to survive but now finds himself with a new boss as the coaching team will report to an elite rugby director.

He is yet to be appointed but will take responsibility for strategy, player release and management and administration for all England representative teams.

The elite rugby director will replace performance director Chris Spice, who has resigned with immediate effect.

"It has not been an easy process, especially when you are dealing with people's livelihoods, but it has been a necessary one," said RFU chief executive Francis Baron. "We are confident that the resulting measures are the best way forward for the England team and elite representative rugby in this country.

"There is no doubt that the performances of the England team since the 2003 Rugby World Cup have been unacceptable and that changes have to be made if we are to turn things round. We believe that these changes will give England, with Andy at the helm, the best chance of defending the World Cup in 18 months' time."