The confusion surrounding the state of England rugby intensified on Thursday when the national squad's players refused to take part in one of the reviews that was commissioned immediately after their exit from the World Cup.
The review of the national set-up that is being conducted by the former England prop Fran Cotton, at the behest of the acting Rugby Football Union chief executive, Martyn Thomas, appears to be struggling for credibility after the players' union, the Rugby Players Association, said it would not co-operate and would report only to a review being conducted by the Professional Game Board – the body which represents the senior clubs and players as well as the RFU.
Cotton's review was already in trouble, after he publicly criticised Martin Johnson, the England team manager, before Thomas had announced the review's existence. Cotton said the squad had failed to develop under Johnson – Thomas appeared to have no knowledge of his words. The PGB questioned whether Thomas, the driving force behind the sacking of Brian Ashton and the appointment of Johnson after the 2007 World Cup, was the right man to commission any inquiry.
The RPA said it had received feedback from 80% of the England squad. A statement said: "Player feedback is provided in two formats. First, players have been given an RFU questionnaire to complete and return to the RPA. Secondly, the RPA has also been visiting clubs to talk openly with the players in order to get a clear picture of what happened on and off the field in New Zealand. The players have been extremely honest in their assessment of the unsuccessful 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign and they are adamant that England must be in the right shape mentally, physically and technically to mount a credible challenge to the 2015 Rugby World Cup."
The responses, the RPA said, were being handled by an independent third party and would then go to the PGB. Rob Andrew, the RFU's professional rugby director, is feeding his findings to the PGB, as are the Premiership clubs. This means that few people are talking to Cotton.
The New Zealand Rugby Union, which is looking for a successor to Graham Henry as All Blacks coach, has said that Wales's Warren Gatland and Australia's Robbie Deans will not be approached. Around 20 letters have been sent out to leading candidates, but the two New Zealanders were not on the mailing list and the board has ruled out poaching from any other country.
