Rudderless England may go into Six Nations with Andy Farrell at the helm

We doubt this was part of the plan.

With England's search for a new head coach continuing to draw a blank, reports suggest that the RFU will end up going into this season's Six Nations with current assistant Andy Farrell in charge. Former had coach Stuart Lancaster paid the price for England's dismal World Cup performance, but the RFU's determination to land a prestige name has so far come up empty. Ireland's Joe Schmidt, Wales boss Warren Gatland and former All Black coaches Wayne Smith and Graham Henry have already ruled themselves out of the running, while ex-Springbok Jake White has expressed his interest and it is rumoured that Australia's Michael Cheika or Japan's Eddie Jones could be ambitious targets. But with England's provisional squad for the Six Nations due to be named in less than two months, the Mail On Sunday is predicting that the responsibility for leading the team into the competition will fall on Farrell, the most senior of the trio of assistants from Lancaster's failed backroom team still under contract. Hardly the dawn of a new era, then, and probably not the news George Ford, who lost his place during the World Cup to Farrell's son Owen, would be hoping for.