Andrew ditched from England role as RFU lines up Mallett

ROB ANDREW, the pantomime villain of English rugby, will no longer have any say over the running of the England team after the latest reshuffle at Twickenham, designed to prevent a repeat of the national side's shambolic World Cup campaign. And it could open the way for Nick Mallett to take over as head coach next year.
 
Andrew was vilified for not falling on his sword when Martin Johnson stepped down as coach last month, but has been kept on in a reduced capacity by the RFU.
 
Under the new structure, Andrew remains in charge of the "elite rugby department" at Twickenham. Fittingly, given their performances in New Zealand, that role no longer covers the national team, meaning Andrew will have no influence over it. Whoever does become England coach will now report to the chief executive of the RFU rather than Andrew.
 
It seems likely there will be an interim coach appointed to take charge of the Six Nations campaign next spring, with Stuart Lancaster the favourite for the job. In the long term, the RFU is keen on Mallett, the former South Africa and Italy coach. Last month he made it clear he was not interested in working under the existing structure at Twickenham. The changes could persuade him to change his mind.
 
Much of today’s press coverage concerns the RFU’s decision not to get rid of Andrew altogether. Richard Williams in The Guardian says: "So remarkable are the former fly-half's survival skills... that seasoned observers will not be taking bets against a clever operator's re-emergence, or the further metamorphosis of his role into something that suits him better."
 
Brendan Gallagher in The Daily Telegraph offers grudging respect, noting that he was the "the only RFU employee who emerged to take the flak last week." Andrew is obviously a tough operator off the field as well as on it, says Gallagher. ·