Andy Farrell backs Stuart Lancaster and refutes influence claims
Tuesday 6 October 2015 07:11, UK
Andy Farrell has given his backing to England head coach Stuart Lancaster, with the defence coach refuting claims he had too much influence on team selections.
After the host nation were eliminated from the Rugby World Cup, it has been suggested in the fall-out that Farrell was a more prominent figure behind the scenes than he should have been.
He has been said by some, including No 8 Billy Vunipola, to have championed the cause of fellow rugby league convert Sam Burgess against most players' wishes.
Questions have also been asked of his objectivity in the fly-half debate involving his son Owen, who was preferred to George Ford in England's key games against Wales and Australia.
Farrell said: "There are no players in the selection meetings. The four of us as coaches get together and have discussions. Ultimately Stuart makes the call and we all buy into that.
"We've lost two games and people will try to define us by those two games but what Stuart has built is more than that.
"This whole campaign and the three and a half years of his leadership has been built on rock solid foundations. He has done marvellous things for this country and this rugby team and I thank him.
"We've had some big wins and some losses but Stuart's ability to bring a meaning to white shirt is second to none.
"He's the proudest and hardest-working Englishman I've ever known and it's a privilege to have worked with the guy."
Just as Lancaster did on Sunday, Farrell said he would wait until after England's post-tournament review before making any decisions on his own future.
He maintains, however, the head coach must be retained in order to allow him to keep the national side progressing and moving forward over time.
Farrell added: "He can't be fired because there's too much hard work that has gone into this. He's a brilliant coach who has done wonders for this team and connecting everyone back to this team.
"There will be things he will take from this experience and become a better coach. The team are a young group who will win trophies in the future and we would all like to be part of that.
"We have to man up and learn from this pain. I want to be better as a coach and sit here in however many years and say I got better from those dark days."
Farrell insisted the squad would have to 'man up' for their final fixture against Uruguay in Manchester on Saturday.
"It's not a great situation for the fans," he said. "But we will try to put on a performance that will put a wry smile on some faces."
