rugbypass.com offers us an exclusive: John Mitchell, ex-boss of the All Blacks, is set to replace Simon Middleton.
I see that as a thoroughly retrograde step.
Mitchell was most recently Japan’s defence coach. Asia Rugby offers the opinion that he was a disaster during his brief spell there.
He doesn’t seem to stay in any one job for long. He has been in charge of the All Blacks, USA Eagles, Sale Sharks (men), and Super Rugby teams the Bulls, Chiefs, Force and Lions. From 1997 to 2000 he was England men’s forwards coach. He lost his top job with the ABs after they failed to win the 2003 World Cup.
That’s a lot to pack into a coaching career, even for a 59-year-old. And, given his age, how long does he intend staying on? Middleton was 57 when he retired last weekend.
Why on earth not a woman? Every movement in the game has been pushing in that direction; it’s central to World Rugby’s policy. The England players say only one thing is important: tneir coach should be the best, and Middleton was. Can the same be said for his presumed replacement?
Appointing a foreigner to top England posts across the world of sport has proved far from a recipe for success. One argument put forward by Sara Orchard (BBC) was: if you want to beat the Black Ferns, pick a Kiwi. Her choice was Anna Richards. I don’t follow the logic of her thinking.
How long will Mitchell take to get to know every player in the Allianz Premier 15s? That’s ten clubs (two brand new) and over 300 hundred players he must familiarise himself with before next season. Or will he appoint assistants to do the hard work for him? Even they may well be unfamiliar with players at Leicester Tigers and Ealing Trailfinders.
One of Middleton’s many virtues was his readiness to travel thousands of miles and watch hours and hours of videos to keep up to date with players’ progress. Let’s hope Mitchell’s satnav is reliable.
An argument against Middleton’s being allowed to remain for the 2023 Six Nations was the lack of time the new incumbent would have in shaping a new Red Roses squad. With this bizarre move we see the strength of that position.
We have yet to get confirmation of this news. rugbypass.com offers us Wednesday 3 May as the day of destiny.
