London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith has been offered the job of England backs coach.

The BBC understands Smith wants the job although he still has one year left on his contract with Irish, who he led to a Heineken Cup semi-final this year.

It is thought new England manager Martin Johnson is keen for Smith to be in place for the tour to New Zealand.

But London Irish seem determined to hold on Smith, who is currently on holiday in his native Australia. 

The Exiles’ chairman Andrew Coppel said: “We are aware of Brian Smith’s ambitions to further his career at international level at some point in the future.

“However, he is contracted to London Irish for another year and our intention is that the contract will be honoured.

“Two weeks ago the club received an official approach about Brian Smith from the Rugby Football Union, verbally through its director of elite rugby (Rob Andrew).

“The club’s board considered the request and rejected it.

“Under various codes of conduct governing both the RFU and clubs, any approach to a player or coach who has more than six months remaining on his contract is expressly forbidden unless the club concerned gives its consent.

“London Irish has given no such consent to the RFU with regard to Brian Smith.”

Smith, who has coached Irish for the past three seasons, previously coached at ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, Bath and the Ricoh club in Japan.

As a player he represented both Australia and Ireland, as well as playing for Leicester Tigers, Oxford University, Queensland Reds and Balmain Tigers in rugby league.

If he were to leave the Exiles, his departure could present an opportunity for current backs coach Mike Catt and forwards coach Toby Booth to take more senior roles.

New England manager Martin Johnson has named Bath lock Steve Borthwick as captain for next month’s two-Test tour of New Zealand.

The 28-year-old will lead the side in the absence of regular skipper Phil Vickery, who has been deemed unfit to tour after tearing a knee ligament.

The 32-man senior squad includes six uncapped players.

Topsy Ojo, Danny Care, Jason Hobson, Dylan Hartley, David Paice and Nick Kennedy are the new faces.

Borthwick, who has 37 caps, had limited game time in the World Cup but was one of only two players to play in every minute of England’s Six Nations campaign this year.

He captained the side in the victory over Italy when Vickery was ill and Johnson said he was the “obvious” choice to lead England in New Zealand.

“Steve is very well respected among the squad, an established international player and a very good leader,” said Johnson. “He is a model player the way he approaches the game and was a natural choice to lead the squad.

“But lots of other guys have a leadership influence on the team. I think people always put too much emphasis on who is the captain.”

Vickery was expected to miss the rest of the domestic season after tearing a knee ligament in mid-April but his rehabilitation is reportedly progressing well and he could even come into contention for the Guinness Premiership final, if Wasps qualify, on 31 May.

“Phil is trying desperately hard to play again this season but we felt it wasn’t the right call to go on an arduous tour,” Johnson added.

Gloucester backs Iain Balshaw and Lesley Vainikolo, who both featured for England during this year’s Six Nations, have been left out.

“I spoke to Iain, he was disappointed not to go but he took it very well,” said Johnson. “We decided to take Mike Brown who we feel is ahead of him at the moment.

“We will be catching up with Lesley as a management and fitness team over the summer to try and improve him as a player.”

The selection of wing Ojo, second row Kennedy and hooker Paice caps a fine season for London Irish after they reached the Heineken Cup semi-finals.

“It was a very close call between Topsy Ojo and those who are on the Saxons tour,” said Johnson. “We felt he just edged it on performance, he’s a very exciting player.”

Wasps lock Simon Shaw has been left at home so he can recover from what Johnson calls “a number of medical issues”.

“We felt it was best if he had a good off season and got himself in the best shape for another long season next year.”

Hartley, 22, who was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, is in the senior squad for the first time despite spending all season in National League Division One helping Northampton win promotion to the Premiership.

The hooker was banned for six months last year for eye-gouging, which ruled him out of contention for a place in England’s World Cup squad.

Bristol prop Hobson, who was added to the extended England squad for the Six Nations match with Italy in February, was last year banned for three weeks after punching Vickery in a league game.

The incident meant that Vickery was forced to miss the final two matches of last year’s Six Nations.

Wasps wing Paul Sackey is named in the party despite hurting his knee against Leeds on Saturday, and is undergoing “intensive rehab” before undergoing a scan to determine any damage.

However, London Irish fly-half/centre Shane Geraghty does not make it as he requires surgery to fix an injured shoulder.

Newcastle centre Toby Flood, who is leaving the Falcons at the end of the season, will travel to New Zealand despite carrying an ankle injury. 
Hartley has impressed the selectors despite playing in Division One 

Johnson has also decided to recall Bath centre Olly Barkley, Harlequins wing David Strettle, London Irish scrum-half Peter Richards, Wasps lock Tom Palmer, Harlequins full-back Mike Brown and Wasps flanker Joe Worsley.

Barkley is back in the squad after missing the Six Nations because of an impending court case.

He was charged with assaulting a fellow guest at a wedding although the charge was subsequently dropped.

Worsley, who has been capped 65 times, missed the entire Six Nations but will battle it out for a starting position in a competitive back-row.

Brown is the only out-and-out full-back named in the party, although Johnson said that Mathew Tait would act as cover for that position.

One player who could feel unfortunate to miss out is Leicester wing Tom Varndell, who is instead in the England Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup.

Varndell has had an impressive campaign with the Tigers and scored a superb last-minute solo try on Saturday to put his side in the end-of-season play-offs.

“We felt that sending Tom to play with the Saxons would be better for him than picking him for New Zealand and not being involved,” said Johnson.

“He will be the first replacement wing for the senior squad if needed.”

Newcastle fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, Leicester flanker Lewis Moody and Tigers lock Louis Deacon were not available for selection because of injury.

Wilkinson is to undergo shoulder surgery shortly to repair a cartilage tear, while Moody is still recovering from the Achilles injury sustained in the opening match of the Six Nations.

Deacon is also unavailable with a back injury that has kept him out for the past month.
With Johnson staying at home to be with his pregnant wife Kay, Andrew will head up a tour management party including coaches John Wells (forwards), Mike Ford (defence), Graham Rowntree (scrummaging) and Jon Callard (kicking).

No specialist backs coach has yet been appointed - “you want these things to happen quickly but sometimes they take time,” said Johnson - and Andrew is working on the assumption “that we won’t have an extra coach in New Zealand at the moment”.

England depart on Monday, 2 June, the day after they play the Barbarians at Twickenham.

They take on the All Blacks in Auckland on 14 June, with a second Test in Christchurch the following Saturday, 21 June.
Former coach Brian Ashton, who led England to the World Cup final, has yet to decide whether to take the role of National Academy boss, despite the RFU saying more than three weeks ago they were confident he would accept the offer.
“Brian still wants more time to make up his mind,” Andrew said.
——————————————————————————–

England squad
Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), P Sackey (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins), T Ojo (London Irish), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), D Cipriani (Wasps), C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), P Richards (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins).
Forwards: A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), T Payne (Wasps), M Stevens (Bath), J Hobson (Bristol), L Mears (Bath), D Hartley (Northampton), D Paice (London Irish), S Borthwick (Bath, capt), B Kay (Leicester), N Kennedy (London Irish), T Palmer (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins), L Narraway (Gloucester).

Players not selected because of injury:
J Lewsey (Wasps), S Geraghty (London Irish), H Ellis (Leicester), S Shaw (Wasps), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), L Deacon (Leicester), P Vickery (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester).

England Saxons squad for Churchill Cup in USA and Canada:
Backs: N Abendanon (Bath), A Allen (Gloucester), M Banahan (Bath), L Dickson (Newcastle), B Foden (Sale Sharks), P Hodgson (London Irish), A Jarvis (Harlequins), R Lamb (Gloucester), U Monye (Harlequins), O Smith (Leicester), T Varndell (Leicester), D Waldouck (Wasps).
Forwards: S Armitage (London Irish), R Blaze (Leicester), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter (Leicester), A Clarke (Bristol), J Crane (Leicester), J Forster (Gloucester), T Guest (Harlequins), C Jones (Sale Sharks), N Lloyd (Saracens), C Robshaw (Harlequins), W Skinner (Harlequins, capt), G Skivington (Wasps), A Titterrell (Gloucester), R Webber (Wasps), D Wilson (Newcastle).

Leeds rugby director Stuart Lancaster has been appointed as England’s new head of elite player development.

Lancaster will replace Conor O’Shea who is leaving the Rugby Football Union to join the English Institute of Sport.

The RFU says Lancaster’s role will not affect the offer of the job of National Academy head coach it made to former England boss Brian Ashton.

Talks over Ashton’s future are ongoing after he was replaced in his previous role by Martin Johnson.

An RFU statement read: “Stuart will be directly responsible for all the administration and elite player development processes, which help identify young talent from the age of 13.

“He will also be responsible for the overall management of the Under-18, Under-20, Sevens and England Saxons representative sides.

“Stuart’s appointment does not affect the offer to Brian Ashton as head coach of the National Academy, and these discussions are continuing.”

Lancaster has been in charge at Headingley for the last two seasons and was previously head of the club’s Academy, helping develop England hopefuls like Jordan Crane and Danny Care.

As director of rugby, Lancaster won promotion to the Guinness Premiership in 2007 but could not keep Leeds in the top flight this season.
Lancaster’s final game in charge will be against Wasps on Saturday.

“It has been a very difficult decision for me to leave Leeds Carnegie,” he said.

“I can think of no other role I would have left the club for. However, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It allows to me to work and coach at the top end of the international game, developing senior and young players alike to play for England.

Leeds hope to have a replacement appointed by July but are angry at the way the RFU went about recruiting Lancaster.

Chief executive Gary Hetherington said: “We are obviously disappointed not only in losing Stuart but also with the RFU’s method of recruitment.

“For a sport’s governing body to target the most senior employee of one of its member clubs, without dialogue with the club, is disappointing to say the least.

“I am not surprised Stuart has attracted interest from others and I have no doubt he will prove to be a shrewd signing for the RFU.”

English rugby chiefs have admitted they are unhappy with controversial new law changes being trialled in the sport.

The experimental law variations (ELVs) are already being partially trialled by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in this year’s Super 14.

But some northern hemisphere unions are unconvinced about the need for change.

“We have concerns about the ELVs and the proposed process for their introduction,” said Rugby Football Union chief executive Francis Baron.

The RFU’s stance brings them in line with the Welsh Rugby Union, who expressed similar reservations last week.

The ELVs include downgrading most penalty offences to free-kicks and allowing teams to legally collapse the maul, but their introduction is a controversial topic in the sport.

The powerful southern hemisphere unions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are broadly supportive of the changes, but the ELVs have not enjoyed such a positive reception in the northern hemisphere.

Critics, including the likes of Wasps director of rugby Ian McGeechan, have expressed concern about the long-term implications of the changes. 

They suggest that the variations will remove the rolling maul from the sport, reduce the scrum’s importance and make union more like rugby league.

The RFU, who did agree to trial some of the changes in last season’s County Championship, will conduct a survey of grassroots coaches and players.

“As these ELVs could potentially result in major changes to the laws of the game, the RFU believes it is important to consult those involved in the game at every level and give them an opportunity to express their views,” added Baron.

“In order to discover what participants in rugby union in England actually feel, and to assist us in formulating the RFU’s response to the proposed changes, the Union has compiled an online questionnaire.”

The International Rugby Board’s Laws Project Group met the representatives of the Six Nations unions on 27-28 March.

And the IRB is set to hold a key meeting about the ELVs on 1 May, with the future timetable for any changes set to be up for discussion.

The Australian Rugby Union want rugby authorities to introduce the changes across the board by 1 September, and for the November Tests to be played under the ELVs.

Newcastle fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is to undergo shoulder surgery at the end of the season, ruling him out of England’s tour of New Zealand in June.

The 28-year-old will have an operation to repair a cartilage tear.

“We would have liked him to tour and we intend to take our strongest available squad,” said Rugby Football Union elite rugby director Rob Andrew.

“But player welfare is important and in this case it’s the right call for Jonny not to go to New Zealand.”

England face the Barbarians at Twickenham on 1 June ahead of two Tests against New Zealand later that month. 

The tour will be overseen by Andrew, as newly appointed team manager Martin Johnson will stay at home to be with his pregnant wife Kay.

Wilkinson became the highest points scorer in Test history during this year’s Six Nations, but he also lost his starting place at fly-half to Danny Cipriani in the final match against Ireland.

However, having signed a new two-year contract with Newcastle, Wilkinson had set his sights on forcing his way back into the team.

He had also been enjoying a relatively injury-free spell, having missed much of 2004 and 2005 with shoulder and knee problems.

He missed the Falcons’ last game against Sale recovering from concussion, but is expected to return for the visit of Worcester Warriors in the European Challenge Cup semi-final.

However, once Newcastle’s season is over, Wilkinson will undergo surgery on what is described as a “long-standing cartilage tear”.