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England keep Ashton as coach

"It's been a thorough review and a process that everyone from the coaches to the players and the management all supported."

Rob Andrew, England director of elite rugby

Brian Ashton has retained his position as coach of the England rugby union team, a statement issued by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in London said on Wednesday.

The statement added that forwards coach John Wells and Mike Ford, the defense coach, had also been re-appointed.

However, the length of Ashton's contract, and those of his assistants, was not specified. An RFU spokesman said that details regarding the contracts would be provided at a Twickenham news conference yesterday.

Ashton, appointed a year ago after the ousting of Andy Robinson, was due to see his current contract expire on Dec. 31.

England, the 2003 champions, reached October's World Cup final in Paris under the 61-year-old Ashton's guidance before losing 15-6 to South Africa.

But senior players such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt criticized Ashton's performance in autobiographies published soon after the tournament.

They indicated it was the players, not the management, who had turned round a faltering campaign after England had suffered a World Cup record 0-36 loss to the Springboks during the pool stages.

The RFU tried to defuse the row over whether England succeeded in France because of or in spite of Ashton by not making a decision on his future until receiving a report by Rob Andrew, their director of elite rugby, on the team's World Cup performance.

Andrew, who conducted one-on-one interviews with England's World Cup squad after they'd completed questionnaires, recommended the coaching staff be kept on and, after they'd considered the former England outside-half's findings at Twickenham on Wednesday, the RFU management board agreed.

"It's been a thorough review and a process that everyone from the coaches to the players and the management all supported," Andrew said.

"I'm delighted that Brian and his coaching team will remain with England and, like them, I'm looking forward to what will be a challenging international year in 2008," he said.

Ashton has said previously he wants to take England into the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

But the RFU are thought to be wary of offering a long-term deal in case results go against England and they have to then go through the expense of sacking a coach on a lengthy contract.

They paid an estimated £500,000 (US$1 million) in compensation to Robinson when they forced him out last year.

Another issue that Wednesday's statement didn't resolve was the question of a team manager.

Ashton, like Robinson, has made it clear he would like someone brought in to handle tasks he doesn't relish, such as dealing with the media, and so leave him free to concentrate solely on coaching.

Both Andrew and former England No 8 Dean Richards, now director of rugby at Premiership Harlequins, have been touted as possible England managers.

It was also unclear if England, as well as re-appointing Ashton, Wells and Ford, would be adding to their coaching staff.

London Wasps coach Shaun Edwards has been linked with a move to Wales where New Zealander Warren Gatland, his former boss at the reigning European champions, is now in charge.

But many within the English game believe it would be careless of the RFU to let Edwards join one of their fiercest rivals without at least making an approach to the Great Britain rugby league great.

England's next match is their Six Nations opener against Wales at Twickenham on Feb. 2.
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