England’s Six Nations hinges on Ireland result, says Corry
ENGLAND’S Six Nations campaign can only be rendered a success if Ireland are beaten at Twickenham on Saturday and even then Stuart Lancaster would not be an automatic choice to become head coach on a permanent basis, according to their former captain Martin Corry.
Under Lancaster England have made significant progress since the World Cup debacle under Martin Johnson, with last week’s victory in Paris providing the most compelling evidence yet to suggest the current incumbent should be hired by the Rugby Football Union.
The Lancaster for England bandwagon has clicked into overdrive following the landmark win at the Stade de France, but Corry (right), who represented his country on 64 occasions, argues the RFU cannot afford to hand Lancaster the reins based solely on the outcome of the Six Nations.
“Stuart has done well but the decision now is can he take the side to World Cup success? That’s where we have to be putting our target now,” he said. “We can’t take the easy option and say ‘Stuart is in place so we’ll stick with him because the players like him’.
“This is a pivotal decision for the RFU and they have to put total confidence in the next guy. If they are ruling out John Kirwan on the basis of him not having enough international experience can they then hand it to Stuart who has less than John does?”
On England’s Six Nations campaign, Corry added: “Ireland will be key and you can sum up England’s tournament based on what happens against them. You can see a progression but they need to back up last week’s display which is the hardest thing for an emerging side.”
Martin Corry is representing Team England in the DHL First Nation Home Challenge in aid of this year’s Sport Relief. For more information on how to represent your country, and for behind-the-scenes access to the teams visit www.firstnationhome.com