So no pressure then. English rugby can talk forever about structures and reviews and pathways but ultimately it has to put its faith in one individual as the next head coach of its national team. That the 2015 World Cup is being staged in England effectively trebles the stakes. Get this pivotal decision wrong and the country will have blown its best chance in decades of repeating the increasingly dog-eared triumph of 2003.
Much depends, of course, on what the Rugby Football Union is aiming to achieve. If it wishes to repeat the cycle of failure in which it is stuck, it need only reject the advice of the Professional Game Board and other notable voices and keep muddling on. Let us assume, though, that recent events really have concentrated minds and also that the new man will have total responsibility for team affairs and will report directly to the RFU's incoming chief executive. If there is to be a performance director, he should work in conjunction with the coaching staff, not as their de facto boss.
For those who doubt whether that is practicable, step forward Andy Flower. The transformation in English cricket since he took the job cannot be overstated. If you have the right man setting the right tone, a man who can talk to professional players, schoolkids and the media with equal good sense and honesty, an awful lot of other things fall into place.
So here goes. In some ways the withdrawals of Nick Mallett and Brendan Venter, both potentially strong candidates to replace Martin Johnson, right, are a shame. In other ways their non-availability simplifies things. It effectively leaves the RFU with four viable alternatives, unless it wishes to disappear deep into the left-field undergrowth or drag someone like Sir Ian McGeechan out of Bath for one last hurrah. There could be worse outcomes but, for now, England will look elsewhere.
The first is the healthy, organic option. Jim Mallinder has been in and around the top-level coaching game for 10 years, first at Sale, then England A and latterly Northampton. His record of turning decent teams into good ones is excellent, having presided over 15 wins from 16 games with England Saxons. He also led England Under-21s to Six Nations success and has enjoyed three and a half fruitful years with Saints, steering them to promotion from the Championship as well as to the European Challenge Cup, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and a Heineken Cup final. The downside is that his contract at Franklin's Gardens runs until the end of next season and he will be loth to jump ship in mid-campaign along with his trusted assistants Dorian West and Paul Grayson. The Northampton chairman, Leon Barwell, will not let him go mid-season without significant compensation.
Next off the rank is the ultimate grizzled old pro. If there is one man who knows precisely how English rugby feels at the moment, it is Graham Henry. Four years ago he was reappointed as the All Blacks coach by the skin of his teeth, yet duly delivered New Zealand's first World Cup since 1987. Henry is due in London next week and the RFU should wine and dine him as often as possible while picking his brains as much as decency allows. By his own admission Henry is not a great fan of idle retirement and he may just be tempted by the ultimate challenge.
The stumbling blocks are obvious enough: he has achieved his heart's desire and will not particularly want to be seen spending the next four years plotting the downfall of his native land or, potentially, his ex-colleague Steve Hansen. Ultimately, though, he could add immense value as either a caretaker coach while Mallinder works his notice period or, alternatively, as a performance consultant. A pithy report from Henry based on three months' forensic observation of English rugby would be worth a thousand reviews by Joe Blazer.
Third? It would be wrong to think Mallinder is the only decent coach operating in these islands. Twickenham's kingmakers need only gaze out of their office window for their next candidate. Conor O'Shea has had one stint at the RFU and is precisely the type of smart, positive appointee to rinse away the battle fatigue which has afflicted the union and, by extension, its national team. Harlequins remain unbeaten this season and O'Shea, as a former head of the academy structure, knows precisely where to find the next generation of English talent.
His assistants would clearly be up to him but there are kindred souls around. Toby Booth, Mike Catt, Dean Ryan and his namesake, the England Sevens coach Ben Ryan, are bright enough to help transform not just how England play but, crucially, the way they think. There are good young defence coaches out there as well, not least Paul Gustard at Saracens.
And finally, just to keep everyone honest, there has to be a wild card. Or, to be precise, two of them. Sir Clive Woodward may not have been directly involved in rugby since the ill-fated 2005 Lions tour but he and his one-time adversary Eddie Jones would make an eye-catching double act. Both of them fancy a role and Jones – whose daughter is moving back to the UK to study – could hold the fort and shake things up while Woodward completes his London Olympic duties. Media-wise it would be a hoot; playing-wise it would be equally compelling.
Clearly much depends on whether Rob Andrew, the rugby operations director, remains at the union. If he does, Mallinder is the likeliest choice; if not, a Woodward/Jones axis may just materialise. A personal choice would be for Mallinder as head coach, with O'Shea in the performance director role and Henry on hand as a wise owl consultant on an initial two-year deal. Would it work? There is only one way to find out.
