Stuart Lancaster quits England: The highs and lows of his career with the red rose

Lancaster has left his position as England head coach by mutual consent

England's 2015 failure left much deeper problems than met the eye (2015 Getty Images)

Stuart Lancaster has resigned as England head coach following the ill-fated Rugby World Cup campaign, bringing an end to his four-year tenure.

Lancaster was given the task of restoring the reputation of English rugby following the 2011 World Cup campaign in New Zealand, which saw the nation suffer a quarter-final defeat to France combined with a number of off-the-field incidents that left the national team as the laughing stock of world rugby.

Taking over from former head coach and 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson, Lancaster immediately went about instilling a sense of discipline behind his selection policy, but despite improved performances across the board England were unable to win a Six Nations title under Lancaster’s stewardship – having finished in second place in all four of his campaigns.

Lancaster leaves the role with a record of 28 victories from 46 Test matches, but he was criticised for the handling of the squad and, especially, the selection of Sam Burgess as an inside centre rather than a blindside flanker where he was plying his trade for club side Bath.

We take a look at the key events in Lancaster’s reign as England coach.

The RFU have already confirmed that they have begun a recruitment process to determine Lancaster's successor.