Ian Peel: Leaving England was the hardest decision of my career. Photo: Telegraph/Geoff Pugh
Ian Peel, manager of the Saracens strikers, spoke for the first time about turning down the opportunity to join Steve Borthwick's England coaching team, calling it the «hardest decision» of his career.
It is understood that Peel, 47, was Borthwick's first choice to replace Richard Cockerill as England's full-time scrum coach, who will also be given responsibility for mauls ahead of the World Cup in France in September.
Peele said he was initially interested in the position when he was first contacted by Conor O'Shea, Rugby Football Union's professional rugby director, about applying for the position ahead of the start of the Guinness Six Nations in February. But, having been invited for a job interview, I decided instead to call Borthwick directly in order to refuse to participate in the process.
“There were several people who applied for this job and there was no guarantee that I would get it, but I didn’t want to go through the entire interview process just to tell Steve that I didn’t want to continue,” Peel. said in an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport.
“It was the hardest decision of my career. I enjoyed working with Steve when I first came to Sarris and played a dual role working with England during Six Nations 2016 when he was assistant to Eddie Jones.
“There is also the attraction of starting in a World Cup year, working with a strong squad and being part of a good coaching team. My mom and dad would be very proud too. My whole family are big rugby fans and I think they really wanted me to take this job to get tickets for England games.”
Peel, who spent seven years at the Saracens and previously with the England under-20s, said he spent about three weeks considering his decision, consulting with Saracens rugby director Mark McCall and club owner Dominic Sylvester over the phone from South Africa. , and even some of the senior players in the club.
“Mark was great. He said he wanted me to stay — I have a contract with the club for the next two years — and that we are doing very well as a management group and are happy with what we are doing and the direction we are going as a club. Peel said. «He said that he wanted to keep the team, but if I felt that moving to England was the right decision, the club would help me with this.»
Peel still dreams of working in England. 39;
Peel said that the decision was ultimately due to two factors: the Saracens and his family.
“I just love working with the Saracens,” he said. “I enjoy working with players, some of whom, like Jamie George and Mako Vunipola, I first started working with when I was coaching the England under-20s. Billy Vunipola and Maro Itohe were also at this stage. I have known these players for a long time, I have a great relationship with them, I enjoy working with them every day and challenging each other. I also love the environment while working with other trainers. We are a close-knit group and I feel like I am growing in this environment as a coach. Steve can appreciate this from the time he played here with the Saracens.
“The second decision concerned my family. From my experience with England's age group teams, I know how committed it is even at this level. With the England under-20s, I was away from home and staying in hotels for about four months of the year. When I worked with Eddie at Six Nations 2016, I was gone for eight weeks. You get them for a short time, but people don't necessarily realize what an obligation it is — not even my family members.
“I decided that I was just not ready to spend time on my own two. children who are 12 and 10 years old and my wife Pippa.
“I know I may not get another chance to coach England again. But as a family, we decided that while I might not have that opportunity, if I take it now, I definitely won't have the opportunity to spend time with my kids aged 12 to 16 and 10 to 14. .
“When I talked to Steve, I told him that I was honored to even be a candidate for this job, and I was very excited about it. But on reflection, I felt that if I continue to develop as a coach and work hard, I might have another chance in the future. If I don't, I'm fine with that, but I'll never have the opportunity to host another World Cup cycle with my kids again.”
However, the former Newcastle defender didn't. lost hope of ever coaching England. “I would like to be involved at some stage,” he said. “That's why I wanted to be honest with Steve. There are professional and family reasons why now is not the right time, but you never know what might happen in the future.”
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