Stuart Lancaster said he would not have fast-tracked Sam Burgess into England’s World Cup squad last year if he had known the player he converted into a centre would return to rugby league within a few weeks of the hosts being knocked out of the tournament.
England’s failure to make it out of the group stage cost Lancaster his job as head coach. His decision to pick Burgess, whose club Bath played him at wing forward, in the squad over players such as Luther Burrell and Kyle Eastmond was one of the factors held against him at the subsequent tournament review.
“Clearly, hindsight is a wonderful thing,” said Lancaster in an interview with the BBC, his first since the World Cup review culminated in his being replaced by Eddie Jones. “If I’d known he was going to go back to rugby league then my decisions would have been different, but we didn’t know that at the time. It’s a shame for everyone. I don’t think there was any winner in the end.
“Sam was a great and positive influence on the group. He worked hard and earned the right, in our minds, to be in the squad. I think there’s a perception that I somehow went on a crusade to try and recruit him from rugby league. What happened was I went to Australia and watched a game, popping in to see various coaches along the way.
“One of those was Michael Maguire [head coach at South Sydney Rabbitohs] and Sam pulled me on the way out and said: ‘Do you fancy a coffee?’ We had a chat and he said: ‘I want to have a think about playing rugby union, how do I go about doing it?’”
Lancaster said he had still not got England’s World Cup failure out of his mind, adding that he was ready to return to full-time coaching having spent part of the winter in the southern hemisphere speaking to Super Rugby coaches. “A lot of things have happened since the World Cup, but it is still fresh in my mind,” he said. “You think about it most days.
“I was accountable more than anyone. I was the head coach and it was my responsibility to lead the team. I’m delighted for the players, the management and the coaches that we got the grand slam. I’m equally delighted for the England rugby fans, because they stayed behind the team right the way throughout. They all deserve the success. I will always support the England team; that will never change.
“I don’t feel so burnt by the whole experience that I don’t want to coach again. You need a new project to get your teeth into, otherwise you are always dwelling on the old one. The lure of coaching Super Rugby is a big one. The southern hemisphere would be a tremendous challenge and a great opportunity. I hope something comes around the corner soon and I want to make it the right decision.”
