English Rugby
RFU will pay top dollar for new coach
ESPNscrum Staff
December 1, 2011
RFU acting chief executive Stephen Brown fields questions from the media, Twickenham, London, November 30, 2011
RFU acting chief executive Stephen Brown addresses the media on Wednesday © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links
Players/Officials: Rob Andrew
Teams: England

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) will spare no expense in its pursuit of a top-class successor to Martin Johnson as England team manager.

Johnson announced his resignation last month and a succession of high-profile coaches have been linked with the vacancy in recent weeks, including Nick Mallett and Jake White.

The RFU has stated that it is no rush to make an appointment, revealing that an interim boss is likely to be appointed for the Six Nations, and acting chief executive Stephen Brown has now revealed that not only is the union prepared to wait, they are also willing to pay top dollar for their preferred candidate.

"We have an extremely strong commercial and financial base," said Brown. "That puts us in a very good position to pay for the very best people we can get.

"Our financial results have just been published. We're not exactly in a bad position financially. That's one of the successes that may have been slightly missed in recent months."

Brown also admitted that the RFU plans to clearly outline to any interested parties what exactly is expected of the new boss.

"The role definitions in the past haven't been clear, within the union or to the individuals involved," said Brown. "We need to get the role definitions correct so that we get the right person to deliver that role.

"We need to get the reporting and accountability lines clear, something that also hasn't happened in the past. It's something that we're very clear on fixing, hence the changes that have been made to the structure."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices