RFU fury at stars’ attacks on Ashton

THE English RFU are to slap gagging orders on England players in the wake of the “disgraceful” post-World Cup attacks on Brian Ashton.

Head coach Ashton has come under fire from senior players such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt for his management style during England’s defence of the Webb Ellis Cup.

RFU chairman Martyn Thomas said: “I think it is absolutely disgraceful. This has tarnished a great achievement.”

Meanwhile, a trio of highly-respected coaches have joined forces to condemn the decisions of Dallaglio and Catt to publicly criticise Ashton.

Former England coach Andy Robinson, ex-Scotland and British & Irish Lions coach Ian McGeechan and Bristol director of rugby Richard Hill claimed that the dressing room bond of loyalty should be strictly observed, even when players publish autobiographies.

Ashton is not the only coach to have been heavily criticised in recent days.

Wales’ most-capped player Gareth Thomas has also weighed in to former national coaches Mike Ruddock and Graham Henry in parts of his book.

Speaking at the Heineken Cup launch in Cardiff, Edinburgh director of rugby Robinson said: “There’s a lot that happens within a team and there’s a process that you develop. Rugby is the greatest team game you can play and leadership is vital within that.

“There will be times when you needle each other, times when you’re going to be cuddling each other and times when you’re going to have disagreements.

“There will be times you’ll make mistakes and times you’ll do really well and all those aspects have got to stay within the camp.

“That’s part of the bond of being part of a team. It’s part of being nuclear as a team. Having disagreements is part of it.

One man who is supporting the beleaguered head coach is captain Phil Vickery.

“From my perspective Brian Ashton and the coaches worked their arses off to get things right. So did the players,” he said.

“We did have issues and some of Lawrence’s points are very valid, but at the same time we have to remember there is a book to sell.

“Brian is always going to have his critics but a line has to be drawn. Sometimes people step over it. I feel very, very sorry for Brian with some of the things that have been said.

“Some have been very personal and very hurtful. We are all human beings after all. Brian has always had the best interests of the country at heart.

Former England captain Hill added: “I would endorse what Phil Vickery has said about Brian Ashton. A lot of things go on in rugby clubs.

“As an example, we’ve got 54 players at Bristol and you can never keep that number happy.

“And you can never keep the whole World Cup squad happy because everyone wants to play in the starting XV and even in that starting line-up they will have ideas about how they want to play or get their involvement in the game.

“Unfortunately, an autobiography lends itself to a few home truths. It’s a shame when it happens in sport, particularly when a team has done really well.

“The perception on the outside is that Brian has done a brilliant job to take a squad that was a bit of a shambles to the World Cup final.

“Why go and spoil it and prick that little bubble with one or two comments? People have to understand that things like that always go on in rugby clubs.

“When you get 30 players who are full of testosterone, have strong opinions and are very competitive it creates situations. It’s not like having 30 office workers.

“These blokes have strong personalities and it’s not a bed of roses and that’s why coaches have to deal with management issues and keep their squad going in the same way. It’s a hard job.”