MOORE PREDICTS END FOR ASHTON
Brian Ashton will no longer be the coach of the England team according to former England hooker Brian Moore.
After an indifferent Six Nations campaign, doubts have surrounded the future of the England coach who was meeting with RFU elite rugby director Rob Andrew yesterday to discuss the future of the national side.
Check out the latest rugby spread betting markets, including Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup win markets at Sporting Index.Ashton has been heavily criticised since taking over from Andy Robinson in December 2006 by supporters, commentators and players with several abject performances by England being masked by occasional successes, including a World Cup final appearance in 2007.
And now it appears that Moore has joined the growing list of dissenters.
"There has been a lot of hysteria about this and I suspect he's going to go," Moore told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"From what I hear a deal has already been done and the decision made."
However, Moore does believe that Ashton can point to positives during his England reign.
Moore said: "If I was Brian Ashton I'd go to Rob Andrew
and say, 'presumably you'd be perfectly happy with what I've done so far
wouldn't you?'
"He was the most successful northern hemisphere coach
in the World Cup and got England into the final and then got them to second in
the Six Nations, despite having to deal with a lot of retirements.
"Those are the facts and the results. It was a job he
stepped into; he only had seven months to prepare for the World Cup and he
dealt with retirements and blooded new players."
Andrew has earlier claimed that no changes would be made
ahead of England's two-Test tour of New Zealand in June, with Ashton signing an
'indefinite' contract last December after guiding England to the 2007 World Cup
final.
But Moore suspects the RFU has already started looking for
the former Bath and Ireland coach's successor, with Jake White the likely
candidate.
"If I were Brian Ashton I'd ask Rob Andrew whether he has had any talks, informal or formal, with a possible replacement and see what he says," added Moore.
Related links:
