Brian Smith calling the shots when he was in charge of England's attack
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Former England coach Brian Smith, talking to Chris Hewett of the Independent, gives his side of the story after the World Cup fiasco.
"The moment Martin Johnson announced his resignation as England manager in mid-November, the attack coach Brian Smith decided he had no option but to do likewise. "It was Martin who had appointed me, so I felt my position was untenable," he says quietly, reflecting on that supremely difficult moment.
His departure was not confirmed until after the leaking of three post-World Cup reviews – an act that brought the Rugby Football Union to its knees and left Smith, heavily criticised in the published extracts, incandescent with anger at what he saw as a one-sided assault on his professional credentials.
He thought about leaving the country; for a moment, he even wondered whether a career in top-level sport was worth the hassle. Happily, he has spent the last few weeks thinking again."
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