8 December 2011
Appointed as England’s interim head coach after the resignation of Martin Johnson following the toxic fallout from the dismal 2011 World Cup campaign. Lancaster’s promise to reform culture strikes a chord
4 February 2012
Picks only six players from the 2011 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France, awards seven new caps and selects Chris Robshaw as captain for his first match in charge – away to Scotland in the Six Nations. Charlie Hodgson’s charge-down try leads to a 13-6 win
25 February 2012
Lancaster suffers his first defeat – a 19-12 loss to Wales after Scott Williams’s late try at Twickenham. David Strettle has an injury-time effort ruled out but subsequent victories over France and Ireland lead to a second-place finish in the Six Nations
29 March 2012
Appointed as head coach on a permanent basis by the RFU chief executive, Ian Ritchie, with the assistance of an advisory panel comprising Conor O’Shea, Ian McGeechan, Rob Andrew and the former England flanker Richard Hill
1 December 2012
The winless summer tour of South Africa is followed by autumn defeats to Australia and South Africa, where Robshaw’s leadership is questioned, before Manu Tuilagi runs riot in 38-21 victory over New Zealand. Optimism soars
16 March 2013
Having scalped the All Blacks, England arrive in Cardiff chasing their first grand slam since 2003 but fall to a record defeat by Wales, going down 30-3. “It really did hurt deeply,” reflected Lancaster, two years later
1 February 2014
Largely overlooked for the Lions, England lick their wounds over the summer of 2013 as a youthful squad impresses in Argentina. For the start of the 2014 Six Nations, Lancaster hands debuts to Jack Nowell and Luther Burrell in Paris but England ship two tries in the opening 17 minutes. They recover to lead but concede a 78th-minute try and are defeated 26-24
7 June 2014
England lose the first Test of their three-match series in New Zealand 20-15 despite missing a host of players who took part in the Premiership final seven days earlier. The RFU is roundly criticised for compromising Lancaster before England crash to further defeats. Reports have since emerged that senior players asked permission to go for a beer after a gruelling season but Lancaster refused
1 October 2014
Lancaster and his coaching staff – Mike Catt, Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell – are handed new contracts until 2020 with a view to continuing through to the 2019 World Cup. “We believe this is entirely the right decision for the future of England Rugby,” says Ritchie but the decision is viewed in some quarters as an unnecessary security blanket
6 February 2015
England avenge their 2013 defeat by Wales, despite finding themselves 10-0 down, with a 21-16 victory at the Millennium Stadium. Jonathan Joseph dazzles and stakes a considerable claim for the No13 shirt in Tuilagi’s absence. George Ford looks to the manor born at fly-half
1 March 2015
A harbinger of things to come. England coaches spend the week preceding the 19-9 defeat by Ireland in Dublin expressing total confidence they will combat the expected aerial bombardment. They do not. Lancaster’s decision to leave the recalled Danny Cipriani on the bench throughout bemuses
21 March 2015
All is forgiven after victory over Scotland and a thrilling seven-try triumph over France at Twickenham. Having seen Wales and Ireland win big earlier in the day, Lancaster lets England off the leash against Les Bleus and they enthrall, albeit falling a score short of the points margin necessary for a first Six Nations title since 2011. They instead settle for a fourth second-place finish under Lancaster
5 April 2015
Lancaster suffers great embarrassment when, having hired a talent management company to boost his profile before the World Cup, a brochure released to large companies highlights his side’s tendency to repeatedly finish runners-up, only a month after Ritchie describes second place as unacceptable
2 May 2015
Toulon defeat Clermont 24-18 in the European Champions Cup final with Nick Abendanon, the current European player of the year, and Steffon Armitage both featuring. Lancaster reportedly considers invoking the RFU’s exceptional circumstances rule but vocal opposition from squad members mean they remain on the sidelines
15 May 2015
Lancaster informs Tuilagi he will not be considered for World Cup selection after his conviction for assaulting two female police officers. Lancaster is widely praised for sticking to his principles but his patience is tried further when Dylan Hartley is dropped two weeks later for the ban received as a result of a headbutt on Jamie George
20 May 2015
Lancaster springs few surprises when naming a bloated 50-man training squad for the World Cup which includes the then uncapped Sam Burgess. Strettle’s selection is perhaps the most surprising and his withdrawal with a view to his move to Clermont causes Lancaster embarrassment
15 August 2015
Lancaster hands Test debuts to Burgess and Henry Slade in a 19-14 warm-up win over France. The pair impress but their subsequent World Cup selection demonstrates Lancaster’s muddled thinking having said it would be very unlikely he picked both for the tournament. A torrid performance in Paris a week later spreads further anxiety
27 August 2015
Lancaster effectively stakes his reputation on Burgess by selecting him in a 31-man squad at the expense of Burrell. It has since been reported that Farrell was key in persuading Lancaster to opt for the cross-code convert while Cipriani and Nick Easter are also overlooked
26 September 2015
Despite a bonus point, if unconvincing, win over Fiji the previous Friday, the game with Wales marks the beginning of the end after a defensive team selection backfires. Lancaster picks Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt and Burgess in midfield and despite leading by seven points with 10 minutes to go, England slump to a 28-25 defeat
3 October 2015
England become the first host nation not to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup after being thoroughly outclassed by Australia. Selection is again questioned, with Lancaster choosing Farrell ahead of Ford while keeping faith with Barritt and overlooking the promising Slade
11 November 2015
Lancaster leaves his role by mutual consent after a number of leak stories of discontent within the England camp emerge and Burgess confirms his return to rugby league