Schmidt’s name has surfaced to the top of swirling media speculation he will take over from Lancaster following England’s failure to even progress from the pool stage of the World Cup.
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Head coach Stuart Lancaster and captain Chris Robshaw faced a post-match press conference but only flanker Tom Wood and scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth appeared in the mixed zone.
The Midi Olympique report (subscription required) suggests that the England job would be a step up for Schmidt, somehow overlooking the fact that Ireland are looking forward to a World Cup quarter-final this weekend and are back-to-back Six Nations Champions.
Midi Olympique, a bi-weekly paper specialising in rugby, has named three candidates the RFU wish to speak to – former South Africa coach Jake White, Japan boss Eddie Jones and Schmidt.
“Externally, I’d be a fan of Stuart Lancaster as a person and what he’s trying to build there”, he said. Unfortunately, it is one of the things about coaching but I think Stuart is a first-class character.
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A couple of credible rugby sources ran with the story that may be nothing more than wishful thinking from the RFU after a wretched World Cup. “I enjoy chatting with him before and after matches and I certainly am not going after his job”.
