Publications
Partners
Cape Town - As England rugby continues to recover from a horrific World Cup exit at home there are many calling for coach Stuart Lancaster's head.
But 2003 World Cup winner Lewis Moody is not one of those.
Speaking via a video posted to his Twitter account, the former flank believed that while changes did need to be made, history suggested that keeping Lancaster in charge was the right thng to do moving forward.
Moody, 37, referred to the plights of World Cup-winning coaches Clive Woodward and Graham Henry.
"I believe that Lancaster should stay," said Moody.
"I look back historically at teams that have had success at World Cups. I look at New Zealand in 2011 and us in 2003. There were two coaches there that went through unmitigating disappointment prior to gaining success.
"Clive had the ‘tour of doom’ in 1998 (to South Africa and Australasia), disappointment in the World Cup in 1999, several missed opportunities at grand slams … until ultimately in 2002 we won a 6 nations, then a grand slam and then the World Cup."
Moody acknowledge the need for change, but said that Lancaster should remain at the core of the decisions as the long road towards Japan 2019 begins.
"There needs to be changes if we are going to move forward but I think as long as Stuart is retained he will have that managerial role and oversee what goes on," said Moody.
England bring the curtain down on the World Cup campaign when they take on Uruguay in Manchester on Saturday.
There needs to be change but the RFU must retain Stuart Lancaster and get behind him. #ENG #RWC2015 http://t.co/itUpxBwxCb
— Lewis Moody (@LewisMoody7) October 5, 2015
