Cooke insistent RFU correct not to rush decisions

Former England manager Geoff Cooke last night said there was no need to panic over the protracted nature of the inquest into England’s failed World Cup bid.

The Yorkshireman’s verdict came after Shaun Edwards revealed that the Rugby Football Union had not contacted him over a role within the England set-up.

Edwards agreed to return as Wales’ defence coach at the weekend, a move that some sceptics cited as evidence of the continued inefficiency of the inquest into the performance of Martin Johnson’s men in New Zealand.

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But in a rare vote of confidence for the under-fire RFU, Cooke said he believes the governing body should not be rushed into deciding what direction England go in next.

He feels Edwards represents a missed opportunity, but that timescales should not be altered to accommodate one man.

“There’s no need to rush into things,” said Cooke, the former Bradford and Yorkshire coach who led England to two Five Nations grand slams in his seven years as England manager.

“The important thing is getting it right. You’ve got to get the right people in the right places and at the right time.

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“It is very unfortunate that Shaun Edwards wasn’t prepared to hang around. Whether something has gone on behind the scenes that we’re not privy to we’ll never know.

“It’s a pity, because Edwards seemed to be the type of character we could have done with.

“But it would have been wrong to rush into an appointment just because he was available.

“You don’t appoint coaches before a manager or a head coach. If it takes another month to sort it all out then so be it.

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“In many ways the Six Nations is only a stepping stone. These players are professionals, it’s not as if they’re going to be strangers to each other when they meet up. You don’t need all that preparation time.”

The number of reviews being conducted by the RFU and external bodies into England’s World Cup performance has led to calls for more clarity. Yet until a decision is made about the future of team manager Johnson – either by himself, the governing body or jointly – then Cooke feels even more strongly that all other decisions should not be rushed.

Cooke said: “The key decision is still Martin Johnson. Everything depends on that, whether they decide to keep him on, let him go or he decides to go himself.

“I wouldn’t be unhappy if they decided to stick with Martin Johnson; after all, he’s got the experience now. But he certainly needs a different team of coaches with him.

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“On the other hand there have been a lot of mistakes made along the way.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided he didn’t want any more of it. He’s got to ask himself does he need all the flak that he’s been getting.”

As part of his new deal with the Welsh RFU, Edwards can work one day a week with a Premiership club, and just two weeks after standing down as head coach of Wasps he is already in talks with another unnamed top-flight English club about taking up a post.

Maddeningly for those who feel the RFU should have moved for the 45-year-old, the versatility of the former Wigan and Bradford rugby league player was illustrated by the depth of responsibility he has been given within the fabric of Welsh rugby.

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WRU chief executive Roger Lewis said: “Shaun will work with the Wales Under-20s, 18s and 16s.

“This is part of our strategy to ensure our coaches have influence over our elite players early in their development.

“Our structures are in place both on and off the field to take us up to and beyond the Rugby World Cup in 2015.”

Edwards said last night: “Wales is the only concrete offer I’ve had. I haven’t heard anything else.

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“I haven’t had any contact with anyone from England. You’re always open to offers but I haven’t heard anything from the RFU and I wouldn’t expect to. England’s coaches are still in place.”

England back row Joe Worsley has been forced to retire from the game due to a neck injury.

Worsley, England’s sixth most capped international, discovered during the summer that his playing days were over.

His last game was for his club Wasps against Northampton in March.

Simon Shaw, 38, has joined French club Toulon.