Anthony Allen has ruled himself out of the running to replace Richie Williams as the new Cambridge head coach.
Allen is currently in interim charge of the RFU Championship side following the recent departure of Williams, who had been in the position for six-and-a-half years.
However, the former England international has no plans to apply for the position on a permanent basis.
Anthony Allen is in interim charge of Cambridge Picture: Chris Fell
“The club has been very open with me about the whole process and what it looks like,” said Allen, who has been part of the coaching staff at Ellgia Fields since 2022.
“I’m looking at it as a monthly thing at the moment, we’ll get through to the end of January and then we’ll reassess the situation.
“At the end of January we have a break from fixtures and then it’s a training block, so that feels like a good time to look at everything.
“A lot will also depend on who is available and who the club is keen to talk to, so that is how we’re playing it at the moment.
“With everything I’ve got going on, it’s not something that I want to commit to (on a permanent basis).
“I’m just looking at the next month and then we’ll assess it. It doesn’t suit where I’m at right now.”
Given that his stint in charge is set to be temporary, the ex-Gloucester and Leicester Tigers inside centre is not planning to make wholesale changes.
Instead, the 38-year-old is hoping to oversee some ‘small wins’ as he prepares for back-to-back home games against London Scottish (18 January) and Caldy (25 January).
“Richie did a lot of good things at the club and we all appreciate everything he has done,” added Allen.
“It’s not about ripping anything up and looking to start again because there are a lot of positive pieces already in place.
“The key bit will be seeing growth in the performances, even if it’s very small.
“With everything that we do on the training pitch, we want to see that come out in matches – that’s what success for us will look like during this period.
“Those small wins are important and if we can get those right then it will help us to pick up some positive results.”
Having been a member of Williams’ coaching staff, Allen already has a good insight on the season so far.
Three wins from 10 outings has left Cambridge second from bottom in the Championship standings – and Allen believes that the team has been on the wrong end of some ‘very fine margins’ during the seven defeats.
He said: “We’ve definitely had periods in a lot of the games where we’ve been very competitive.
“Even at Bedford (50-7 defeat on 28 December) we were competitive for 45 or even 50 minutes of that game.
“Then we were on the wrong end of a couple refereeing decisions and there was other moments that we didn’t make the most of – then you get punished for it.
“We showed in the Ampthill game (13-7 win on 21 December) what we’re capable of. We rewarded ourselves that day for the pressure we built and we edged those very fine margins, which we haven’t always done.”
Allen is also confident that he will have no issues with the responsibilities that accompany stepping up into the main role.
“I’ve obviously had a say in certain aspects but the final say was Richie’s,” he said.
“Now the decisions are mine to make and I’m comfortable doing that. When and how we train, team selection and things like that, I’m very happy doing all of that.
“I’m also lucky to have a good group of coaches around me for support and advice.
“You’ve got to be organised in the position and that’s something that suits me.”
Cambridge to host England Under-20s
England Under-20s have named a largely inexperienced squad for their friendly against Cambridge on Saturday (11 January).
Among the squad of 32 players that will also contest the Under-20 Six Nations throughout January, February and March, only five members of those selected – Josh Bellamy (Harlequins), Jack Bracken (Saracens), Exeter Chiefs’ Ben Coen and Kane James and George Timmins (Bath Rugby) – have previously been capped at Under-20 level.
However, 22 of the players involved do have international experience with England Under-18s.
England Under-20s head coach Mark Mapletoft said: “This weekend marks our first non-regional meeting of the Under-20 Men’s season and the energy amongst the boys has been very pleasing. With a healthy portion of our EPS in first-team action for their respective clubs, this camp offers a platform for even more players to express their talents in an Under-20 jersey for the first time.
“As well as implementing our core pathway principles, we’re also tasking the squad with demonstrating ownership both on and off the field and how that relates into our brotherhood in the Under-20 Men’s team.
“Alongside these new players, we’re also privileged to welcome in Dave Walder to coordinate our attack in the upcoming Six Nations and James Mealing to lead on our strength and conditioning programme for the team.
“Both are leaders in their respective fields and are very welcome additions to our brotherhood.”
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