Strife of Brian continues, but Ashton deserves more time in England's hot seat

Brian Ashton was always going to be facing an uphill battle when he took charge of England's rugby union team in 2006. At the time, they were world champions and in the midst of chaos.

The English had reigned supreme in world rugby leading up to and including the 2003 World Cup. Then everything changed. They suffered a glut of retirements and their elite players were aging or constantly injured. The team had run its course.

The slide began under Andy Robinson before Ashton took the reins in 2006. Ashton came with a substantial coaching pedigree, having coached Bath to their last domestic title. He briefly coached Ireland before serving a four-year assistant role with Clive Woodward in which he was essentially head coach of England A. He returned to Bath in 2005 but then, in agreement with his club, signed on as the attack coach of England's national team.

Ashton’s biggest problem was that his main opponents were almost all in "golden eras". The All Blacks began England’s reign as world champions with two 30-point beltings to begin a four-year period of dominance, ironically ended at the last World Cup. England haven't beaten New Zealand since early 2003, while current World Cup holders South Africa hold a five-game winning streak against the English.