To say England have been through a few attack coaches in recent times is an understatement. The latest cab off the rank, Lee Blackett, is the 11th individual to take on the role in nine years but it may just be that the national team have found the ideal catalyst to enhance their chances at the next Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Blackett, 42, auditioned successfully for the job in the summer tour of Argentina and the US, where England scored 13 tries in three Tests, and he has emerged as the big winner in Steve Borthwick’s latest cabinet reshuffle with Richard Wigglesworth switching to defence and Joe El-Abd helping out with the forwards.
That will depend, ultimately, on England’s results with Blackett stressing that England will not be prioritising “funky rugby” over winning matches. “I’ll be doing whatever I feel is best to win us the game. I’ll be looking at the opposition and where I feel we can get an advantage. If you think that’s funky … I just want something that works to win us the game.”
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As yet, though, it remains unclear who exactly England’s on‑field tactical general will be, with George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith all competing for the starting fly-half jersey and Owen Farrell, for now, waiting in the wings. “Any attack coach or head coach always wants one key thing: make sure you’ve got good 10s because they make such a big difference,” Blackett said.
“We’re really lucky. A couple of the guys are going to be disappointed but, for me, having three of them competing is going to make them better. They’re all going to have to be at their best.”
Leicester’s recently appointed defence coach, Mike Forshaw, meanwhile, has left his role at the Tigers for personal family reasons.
