Stepping up Sevens coach Amor to join Jones’ England set-up
Sevens coach ready to replace Wisemantel Jones also enlists World Cup winner Proudfoot
The RFU must decide whether to hand Jones a further contract to take him through to the 2023 World Cup in France
Simon Amor, the highly respected England Sevens coach, is expected to be appointed as the new attack coach in Eddie Jones’s backroom team for the start of the Six Nations Championship.
It is understood that Amor is to replace Scott Wisemantel, who was yesterday confirmed as the new attack coach for Australia.
Matt Proudfoot, the scrum coach for South Africa when they won the World Cup in November, is also expected to be appointed to Jones’s backroom staff, as the successor to Neal Hatley, who left the Rugby Football Union following the tournament in Japan to join Bath.
The appointment of Amor and Proudfoot would complete Jones’s coaching team ahead of the Six Nations. John Mitchell, the defence coach, is contracted, like Jones, until 2021, while Steve Borthwick, the forwards coach, is expected to be still involved during the Six Nations despite a mooted move to Leicester Tigers at some stage.
The news comes as Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, ruled himself out of the running to succeed Jones as England head coach in 2021 after agreeing a contract extension with the Chiefs that takes him through to 2023.
Jones has indicated that he will leave all options open after seeing his England deal through to 2021.
The RFU, which is aware of the need to nurture English coaches, also needs to come up with a succession plan were Jones not to renew further, one that could go through to the next World Cup in France in 2023.
When Jones was appointed in 2016, the RFU said that part of his remit was to bring through an English successor. The RFU, however, extended his contract to 2021 in order that he could be considered for the Lions coaching job for the tour of South Africa, only for Warren Gatland to be reappointed.
The likelihood of an English successor as head coach remains in doubt, with the RFU contemplating handing Jones another extension to his contract to take him through to the 2023 World Cup in France.
Baxter would certainly be high on anyone’s wish list after winning the Premiership title with Exeter in 2017 and contesting three of the past four other finals. Baxter, though, believes that he has more to offer his home-town club a decade after taking over the reins.
“I’ve just agreed a contract extension for three more seasons after this one,” said Baxter, a former player and captain for 14 years at Exeter before turning to coaching.
“I am someone who expects contracts to be honoured, whether it be me signing one of my own or my players for me at the club.”
The expected promotion of Amor, the former England Sevens captain, will be seen as recognition of the RFU’S ambition to promote English coaches. Amor was director of rugby at London Scottish for three years before joining the RFU when succeeding Ben Ryan in 2013.
He also enjoyed a successful topflight playing career that featured spells with London Irish, Gloucester and Wasps. Proudfoot, meanwhile, will be regarded as a significant appointment, particularly given the demolition job that the Springboks inflicted on the England scrum in the World Cup final. It is thought that Ian Peel, the highly-regarded scrum coach at Saracens, also came under strong consideration, but the fact that Proudfoot’s contract with the South African Rugby Union expired following the World Cup made him immediately available. It is understood he flew in from South Africa for talks at Twickenham last week.
Proudfoot, 47, made a name for himself as a coach at Western Province and the Stormers.
Despite England conceding multiple scrum penalties in the final, Proudfoot spoke sympathetically about their set-piece in the aftermath, referencing the early injury to Kyle Sinckler.
He worked with both Allister Coetzee and Rassie Erasmus during his time with South Africa, surviving the change of coaching regime in 2017 before South Africa successfully reverted to a more traditional approach focusing on the power of their pack and set-piece.
South Africa are expected to appoint defence coach Jacques Nienaber as their next head coach, with Erasmus focusing on his director of rugby duties after winning the World Cup.