Manager Johnson to Have Say in England Selection

Martin Johnson is set to become England manager at the start of next month but the departure of the national head coach, Brian Ashton, is not yet a foregone conclusion, even though he would suffer an effective demotion.

Johnson, England's World Cup-winning captain in 2003, has reached a verbal agreement with the Rugby Football Union's director of elite rugby, Rob Andrew, about taking the new post of team manager. His responsibilities would include choosing the coaching team, enforcing discipline in the squad, chairing selection meetings and fronting up to the media, but he would not have a hands-on coaching role.

Two processes remain before he is appointed. First, the terms have to be put down in writing and agreed by two sets of lawyers; second, the RFU's management board, which holds the power to hire and fire, has to agree. Although the latter should be a formality, one stumbling block may be the system Twickenham operates of appointing senior staff on one-year rolling contracts. Johnson is understood to want a deal that takes him to at least the 2011 World Cup, not least to give him some security, whereas Ashton has been subject to thrice-yearly reviews by Andrew, who himself is on a one-year rolling contract.

The position will command nearly £300,000 a year, with a bonus element built in, and Johnson will be charged with restoring success to a side who have not won a major trophy since he lifted the World Cup more than four years ago.

It has been assumed that Ashton, who has been in charge for 16 months, would fall victim to a coaching shake-up, but Johnson has high regard for him as a coach. Ashton was part of the England management between the 1999 and 2003 World Cups and it is likely that Johnson will let himself settle into the role before making major changes. He is conscious of his own lack of experience in rugby management, and although an infusion of young blood into the coaching team seems inevitable, with the likes of Mike Catt and Graham Rowntree tipped for roles, Ashton offers experience.

England face the Barbarians before leaving for a two-Test tour of New Zealand in June and they cannot treat the matches against the All Blacks casually, as has been the case in previous summers, because the results will count in a system which will be used to determine the seeds for the 2011 World Cup. England have until the end of the year to break into the top four of the world rankings; they are currently fifth. Johnson is unlikely to be available for the tour because his wife, Kay, is expecting their second child that month.

Johnson has spent the time since he was first approached by Andrew two weeks ago learning what life has been like in the England camp in the past year. Ashton took them to a World Cup final and second place in this year's Six Nations but the management board last month expressed concern that discipline had become lax, that players wanted to be given more direction and that selection was muddled.

Jonny Wilkinson said Johnson had all the credentials to be manager. "I'm sure he would be massively influential, equally as influential as when he was a player," Wilkinson said in a BBC interview. "He has the qualities inherent in a player that would give him the qualities to be a good coach. What's important in terms of a management style is he has the right people with him, the people that can work for him and get his message to the team, a winning one."

Luke McAlister, with 19 points from his boot, put in a commanding display to help usher Sale into the European Challenge Cup semi-finals with a 49-24 win over Brive at Edgeley Park last night.