He was a great player but, as he freely admits, has no experience of coaching or managing a top rugby side.
But England’s World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson is now installed as England’s rugby supremo (although even he doesn’t seem to know what his title will be) and head coach Brian Ashton (despite taking England to last year’s World Cup final against the odds) is out on his ear.
Actually Ashton seems to be off to the RFU Academy again, rather than sueing the muppets at the Rugby Football Union for constructive dismissal (a shoe-in).
The whole process has been handled disastrously by RFU chairman Martyn Thomas (how can someone called Martyn Thomas head up English rugby, and who is he anyway?), CEO Francis Baron (a dim but armour-plated businessman) and the hapless Rob Andrew, who’s even worse as performance director than he was at fly half.
As for Johnno, he’s Leicester through and through and Leicester’s ‘grind ‘em down’ philosophy is looking more and more redundant in a world where southern hemisphere countries Australia and New Zealand seem hell-bent on making union ever more like rugby league (ie no set pieces and endless boring ‘recycles’).
And who’s going to manage England’s tour to New Zealand in the summer (Johnson is apparently unavailable)?
Any player who’s ‘fit’ to go on this needs his head testing.