Smith promises expansive rugby

2:42pm Thursday 17th July 2008

The man charged with finding England's long lost attacking verve insists Martin Johnson's side will be firing on all cylinders by the end of the autumn.

Brian Smith was last week recruited by the Rugby Football Union as attack coach under new team manager Johnson, in the hope that he can provide England with a cutting edge missing since the 2003 World Cup.

"I want us to threaten the defensive line from every position," Smith told the RFU's podcast. "Players want to play an exciting and expansive brand of rugby and they want to win. I believe we can do both those things - that's the sort of game I'm interested in coaching."

He added: "Things won't happen overnight but they certainly will happen. By the end of the November series (Tests against the Pacific Islands, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) there will be an England style of game in place that players will have to fit in to.

"Hopefully that's an expansive, attacking approach that's also very effective."