Exclusive – England would be wrong to dismiss Stuart Lancaster despite World Cup failure, claims former captain

Former England captain Lewis Moody has called for under-fire head coach Stuart Lancaster to retain his role despite the hosts’ disastrous World Cup campaign.

England became the first tournament hosts in history to crash out at the group stages after a comprehensive 33-13 defeat to Australia on Saturday which condemned the Red Rose to their second damaging loss in the space of a week.

Lancaster has subsequently faced severe scrutiny for his management, but Moody points to Sir Clive Woodward - who led England to World Cup glory in 2003 - as a case study where a coach has been able to turn their fortunes around.

Woodward survived regular dismissal threats in the four years running up to the tournament triumph, and Moody feels Lancaster deserves more time to work with the young squad he has at his disposal.

“It would be wrong to dismiss Stuart. Yes it’s a massive disappointment and yes there needs to be changes, but to throw him out would be wrong,” Moody told Drivetime.

“You understand the backlash. I think to suddenly throw everything out of the bath is a slight overreaction. You have to sit back and take stock.

“It can’t be knee-jerk - it has to be considered and concise.

“If you look back at successful coaches in World Cup history, they have to go through disappointment to understand what they come out the other side with.”