Rugby-English RFU encourages coaches to seek overseas experience

Sept 28 (Reuters) - English coaches need to gain experience outside the domestic game if they are to put themselves in contention to take charge of the national side, Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Ian Ritchie has said. Eddie Jones, who took over as England head coach from Stuart Lancaster after a dismal 2015 World Cup campaign, has plenty of international experience, having coached in his native Australia as well as Japan and South Africa. Ritchie also felt coaches from the domestic set-up needed to broaden their understanding of the game. "If we want to see an objective of an English coach, then they have to go out and get some international experience," Ritchie told the BBC. "It's not that straightforward but that's what we will try and do." Ritchie added that England's governing body was eager to continue working with Premiership clubs to increase international opportunities for coaches. "We have to find the right mechanism and right collaborative approach of doing it," he added. "We recognise we are in a partnership here and our objective is to make English rugby the best in the world." Ritchie also highlighted the importance of maintaining values within the sport following the recent 13-week ban given to Saracens winger Chris Ashton for biting an opponent. "We need to be vigilant about protecting the values, because they are always under pressure... the examples are there," he said. "I don't think we should be too moralistic about having a high ground. We need to be particularly forceful about maintaining how we want the game to work." (Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)