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Leaked RFU report exposes England woes

Leaked RFU report exposes England woes
© PA Photos
A leaked RFU report exposes the full extent of England's recent Rugby World Cup failings.

A leaked Rugby Football Union report has exposed the full extent of England's recent Rugby World Cup turmoil in New Zealand.

The report, leaked to The Times, was complied by the RFU's director of elite rugby, Rob Andrew, the players' union and the professional clubs.

In it, some squad members are accused of being more interested in "getting cash and caps than about getting better on the pitch", while Martin Johnson is also criticised.

The review says that the RFU was held to ransom by the players before the tournament, with the squad threatening to boycott the eve-of-departure dinner.

"It is very disappointing that a senior group, led by Lewis Moody, disputed the level of payment for the World Cup squad, which led to meetings with RFU executives," Andrew says in the report.

"I believe this led to a further unsettling of the squad just before departure, which included a threat by the squad not to attend the World Cup send-off dinner at Twickenham. It suggested that some of the senior players were more focused on money than getting the rugby right."

A player is also accused of saying "There's £35,000 just gone down the toilet", following their quarter-final defeat to France.

Players are criticised for indulging in drinking games and poking fun at those who were committed to training.

Johnson, who resigned as manager last week, is the subject of criticism for failing to deal with the infamous night out in Queenstown, which resulted in Mike Tindall making world headlines for his dealings with a 'mystery blonde'.

The review notes "a lack of action which reflected [Johnson's] inexperience. Therefore primarily he must bear considerable responsibility for these failures."

One of the players is quoted as saying "I suppose we just wanted Johnno to have the bollocks to take action, especially after the Tindall night. He was too loyal and that was his downfall."

Tindall is due to appeal the £25,000 fine handed down to him for his actions tomorrow (Thursday).

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