New Zealander Henry favourite to replace Johnson as England boss
Published:Martin Johnson may only have announced his resignation as England boss a few hours ago, but speculation is already rife about who will take over his position.
Johnson oversaw a disastrous World Cup campaign for the English earlier this year that saw them dumped out in the quarter finals by France after weeks of off-field problems for the 2003 World champions.
The resignation isn’t exactly a surprise after what some would argue was a disappointing couple of years in charge and there are already some big names being touted to now take charge.
Current favourite is Graham Henry at 3/1. The New Zealander guided his home nation to their first World Cup since 1987 earlier this year and has since stepped down as their coach following seven years at the helm.
He certainly has the credentials to take on the job – especially as he has previously coached a successful Welsh team and also took charge of the British and Irish Lions in 2001.
However, with so many internal problems at the RFU, it’s hard to see the 65-year-old being overly tempted by the job – regardless of how much money is on the table.
Northampton Saints coach Jim Mallinder is also in at 3/1 and looks a far more tempting proposition.
The 45-year-old Mallinder is a former coach of England Saxons and has also worked with England Under-21s.
He’s been at the Saints for four years and last year guided them to the Heineken Cup final where they lost a tight game to Leinster.
Having hired the inexperienced Johnson last time out, Mallinder’s great mix of youth and experience could see a punt on him lead to a very decent payout.
Meanwhile, former Gloucester coach Ryan Dean is tempting at 14/1, while England’s World Cup winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward, is out at 16/1 to take charge again.
