Mitchell keen to stay with England
John Mitchell has indicated for the first time that he would be interested in remaining in a coaching position with England beyond the Rugby World Cup this year.
Mitchell was appointed as England’s defence coach last August following Paul Gustard’s decision to become head of rugby at Harlequins, and the 54-year-old former All Blacks coach has been lauded for the impact he has made since then, culminating in the win over Ireland last Sunday.
Mitchell, who applied for the England head coach job in 2015 before Eddie Jones was appointed, was initially regarded as a short-term hire, with his contract due to expire at the end of the World Cup.
Jones was attracted to Mitchell’s wealth of experience in senior coaching positions, including forwards coach with Clive Woodward’s England team in 1997-2000 and head coach of the All Blacks in 2001-03.
However, when asked yesterday whether he would be interested in staying on given the relationship he has struck with the England players, Mitchell said: ‘‘What you are saying is a nice thing to think about and clearly I have got to think about my family.
‘‘At this moment in time I am just really enjoying playing a part and making sure that I am doing my job. That is my most critical focus. There is an ultimate goal at the end of the year. I am sure that if I do my job all those other things will take care of themselves.’’
Jones, too, was originally contracted until the Rugby World Cup but recently re-signed with the Rugby Association until 2021.