Andrew Still Has Some Hard Questions to Answer

England formally approved the reappointment of Brian Ashton and his coaching assistants last night but there was no great sense of triumphalism at Twickenham. The prospect of Shaun Edwards trotting off to assist Wales is causing considerable soul-searching within the Rugby Football Union and a grim day on the disciplinary and injury front also contributed to a noticeably defensive mood.

A sparse statement confirming the open secret of Ashton's new contract unsurprisingly made no mention of Edwards' reluctance to accept a modest role coaching the second-string England Saxons team in favour of rejoining his old Wasps pal Warren Gatland in Cardiff on a part-time basis. He is due to give his final answer today but there is a sense the RFU has offered him too little too late. Combined with news that Olly Barkley will appear in court on New Year's Eve to answer an assault charge, a brace of suspensions for the captain Phil Vickery and his fellow World Cup squad prop Perry Freshwater and a nasty throat injury to Shaun Perry, there is a distinct lack of seasonal cheer in the air.

Rob Andrew, the RFU's elite rugby director, will host a media conference with Ashton this lunchtime to flesh out the details of the latter's fresh deal, as well as the precise reasons for re-employing John Wells and Mike Ford. He will be well aware, however, of the strong groundswell of opinion within English rugby that allowing the highly-rated Edwards to go and work with Wales would represent a missed opportunity of the highest order.

As a result, Andrew finds himself caught in classic Catch-22 territory. If he extols Edwards' talents and somehow persuades him to take the Saxons role, even a respected coach like Ford will be entitled to feel undermined. If, on the other hand, England wave off Edwards across the Severn Bridge the decision will probably come back to haunt them.

The issue of whether England should have a manager figure to support Ashton with off-field duties will also be the subject of renewed questioning today. Andrew has opted to wait and see how the Six Nations goes but insisted he was happy with the recommendations approved by the RFU management board, following a World Cup review which involved consultations with players and coaches alike.

The first date on the calendar, apart from the naming of the senior and A squads early in the new year, will be Monday, January 21 when England are due to have a get-together ahead of their normal build-up to the game with Wales at Twickenham on February 2. Time is already short, which may help explain why Andrew decided not to tinker with the coaching team.

At least Vickery and Freshwater will both be available, if required, for the Six Nations after admitting acts of violence during Heineken Cup matches this month. Vickery was banned for two weeks by a European Rugby Cup disciplinary committee for trampling on the Clermont Auvergne lock Thibault Privat during Wasps' defeat in France 12 days ago, but it was back-dated to December 12 because the defending champions suspended him from the return game at Adams Park last Saturday.

Vickery will be free to play again against Bath on December 29. Freshwater will miss three games after pleading guilty to striking the London Irish flanker Kieran Roche with his arm last Saturday. Roche suffered a fractured eye socket and will be out of action for at least four weeks.

Barkley, meanwhile, has been charged with assault following an alleged brawl at a wedding in Buckinghamshire last summer. He is due to appear before magistrates at Aylesbury on December 31. Bath yesterday issued a statement saying Barkley would be pleading not guilty.

Barkley's half-back partner in the opening World Cup match against the United States, the Bristol scrum-half Shaun Perry, will also enjoy an uncomfortable Christmas after requiring an operation to repair damaged ligaments in his windpipe. The 29-year-old Perry was injured in the opening minutes of last Sunday's Heineken Cup victory over Harlequins at the Memorial Stadium but stayed on the field for the whole game. He is likely to be out for at least a month.

The former Scotland and Leinster coach Matt Williams, meanwhile, has emerged as the favorite become Ulster's new head coach. The Australian was holding talks with the province last night but he would be a controversial choice. While he guided Leinster to the Celtic league title five years ago, he spent an unhappy and unsuccessful 16 months in charge of Scotland before being acrimoniously fired.