MX23RW : Monday, May 6 14:48:04| >> :600:93649:93649:

Wayne Smith turns down England role

Smith turns down England role
© PA Photos
Wayne Smith turns down the opportunity to become an England coach because of family reasons.

Wayne Smith has turned down the opportunity to join Stuart Lancaster's coaching team with England.

The 55-year-old, who was New Zealand assistant coach up until 2011, will remain in his homeland for family reasons.

"Wayne Smith rang me this morning and he is staying in New Zealand," said coach Lancaster. "For family reasons - he has got his parents close to him and his son is at university over there - he felt it was going to be best to stay over there.

"It is clearly disappointing but in the short term the next step for me is to focus all my energies on South Africa."

Smith's decision has come on the same day that Mike Catt accepted a role within the coaching setup.

ID:25802: cacheID:25802:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1230:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wayne Smith
Read Next:
NZRU determined to keep Smith
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!