The England forwards coach, Graham Rowntree, the only survivor from Martin Johnson's World Cup management team, has spoken of the "almost unbearable" anguish he felt after players' supposedly confidential comments about the coaching staff were made public. Rowntree said he and his fellow coaches endured a hugely difficult period, during which he feared he would also lose his job.
Johnson and Brian Smith have resigned and Mike Ford and John Wells have been relieved of their duties since the failed campaign in New Zealand. Rowntree said the post-tournament furore had been tough for all concerned.
"Every day I wondered what the future held," said Rowntree. "What the next job was, whether I still had my current job, the whole uncertainty has almost been unbearable. There have been dark times. It was painful the way everything was packaged up on and off the field."
Rowntree said the Rugby Football Union's World Cup review process had been "messy", despite his having emerged with universal credit. He now, temporarily at least, has an expanded job title and is desperate to ensure the England players feel "proud again" about pulling on their national jersey.
"What we have got as a nation is a lot of good young players," he said. "The next job is to pick two squads to reflect that. We have got to get them together, get them excited and get them proud to be playing for England again. In the Six Nations, the former Leicester prop will work with the interim head coach, Stuart Lancaster, and the backs coach, Andy Farrell.
"Now it's about moving forward. This is our coaching group … let's get on with it. There will be no hangover from me or any of the other coaches. We will start selecting, getting around, speaking to coaches and directors of rugby and asking them what they think of certain players. Then we will plan our January camp and make an environment where they are going to come in and say, 'Wow'. It'll be nothing flash but it will be an environment in which they can enjoy themselves, play a good brand of rugby and express themselves."
Rowntree is a loyal supporter of Johnson but he said Lancaster would be required to improve the culture surrounding the national team, whose image was seriously tarnished in New Zealand.
"Stuart will be very good at setting those guidelines," he said. "Why? I've worked with him before. He is very organised, a good leader, a good head coach. I think he will do that job very well. We will set those standards, core values, ethics and just get on with it. We will work hard and enjoy ourselves. Simple."
England are due to announce a revised senior elite player squad on 11 January. Their first Six Nations fixture is against Scotland at Murrayfield on 4 February.
