Stuart Lancaster to apply for England rugby post

26/01/2012

England's stand-in rugby coach Stuart Lancaster has confirmed he intends to apply for the position on a permanent basis.

"It is a good job and I am sure there will be a lot of interest worldwide and within England as well," he stated, but said he will be throwing his hat in the ring before the February 15th deadline.

Fans booking hospitality packages at Twickenham may be pleased by the news, as the new coach has sought to radically shake-up the squad.

Lancaster also played down accusations of arrogance by the players over their actions in the World Cup in New Zealand by Scotland coach Andy Robinson, ahead of the Calcutta Cup game at Murrayfield.

He said that whatever had gone on in the past was not his concern and the focus was on establishing a "humble, hard-working, honest" team who "represent England with pride."

Lancaster's England side will be much changed from the World Cup, with a mixture of retirements, new call-ups, players dropped and injuries all contributing to this.

One player absent from the start of the tournament is Tom Wood, who has a toe injury and will miss at least the Scotland and Italy games.

By Liz Johnstone