‘It was devastation,
Mitchell’s in the mix for Eddie
EDDIE JONES finally landed his man yesterday as the RFU hired John Mitchell to be England’s defence coach through to next year’s World Cup.
The former All Blacks coach will leave his role as executive of rugby at the Bulls to join up with England at their training camp in Bristol later this month after the RFU agreed a £200,000 compensation fee with the South African Super Rugby side.
It will be the 54-year-old’s second stint with England having served as forwards coach under Clive Woodward from 1997-2000. Mitchell’s record since, including a month-long period in charge of Sale in 2012, has been up and down but Jones is banking on the hard-nosed Kiwi benefiting England. “Defence is a key pillar of our game and John is an experienced coach. He has coached the All Blacks, USA Rugby and a number of Super Rugby sides, so he’ll bring a wealth of experience and add to the coaching mix we have,” said Jones.
Mitchell, above, replaces Paul Gustard, who quit after the Six Nations to move to Harlequins.
He said: “I will use all my experience to bring the necessary clarity and confidence to the players from a defensive perspective.”
Australian Scott Wisemantel has been reappointed as attack coach for the autumn Tests after working with the squad in South Africa in the summer, with Jones quietly shelving his original brief of developing English coaches with the World Cup a year away.
NEIL SQUIRES