England full-back Mike Brown has said that the trust among players in the squad is "completely shot" following reports of stories being leaked regarding the team's dismal Rugby World Cup campaign.
Stuart Lancaster's side became the first host nation and first former winners of the tournament to be eliminated in the group stages, finishing behind both Australia and Wales in Pool A.
The selection of rugby league convert Sam Burgess ahead of Luther Burrell is one of the issues said to have caused friction in the team, with some players reportedly questioning Lancaster's decision.
However, Brown does not believe that any member of the squad played well enough to make such criticisms, and hinted that the aftermath will carry over to the next time England get together.
"There has been a story at the weekend which is absolutely ridiculous so the trust has gone now as far as I am concerned. I worked so hard to play in a World Cup and I am passionate about playing for England," Brown told The Telegraph.
"It is just difficult because we have not left it in a good place and it doesn't help with all these people deciding to pipe up in the squad that probably shouldn't be, probably anonymously. I don't think anyone was good enough in an England shirt to be piping up saying: 'This was wrong, that was wrong' and that sort of thing.
"If they are going to say something, I think they should put their name to it. That is going to make it even more difficult when [the England squad] do meet up because I think the trust has been, as you can imagine, completely shot now. But it will come out who it was at the end of the day so it will be interesting when it does because I will be one of the first people to speak to them."
England are next due to meet up in January ahead of the 2016 Six Nations.
Barney Corkhill
