Rugby Union: Twickenham Slash Costs in Massive England Cull

Sir Clive Woodward was linked with a return to Twickenham last night, just as the Rugby Football Union announced the changes that will dismantle the dynasty he created to lead England to the World Cup in 2003.

The governing body yesterday confirmed a shake-up of the national coaching team and also revealed it is planned to reduce their expenditure. While some at English rugby's headquarters believe the new position of director of elite rugby, created by the departure of the RFU's elite performance director Chris Spice, is made for Woodward because the emphasis will be on organisation, with the role encompassing every one of England's representative sides, the changes announced will make the environment the players and back-up staff operate in more Spartan than sybaritic.

The England squad are being pulled out of their five-star base in Bagshot, there will be no more than 12 support staff, starting with the head coach Andy Robinson, on duty in an international week or on tour, a fraction of the staff Woodward took with him to New Zealand on last year's Lions tour, consultancy contracts have been ended and the RFU has appointed a general manager, Nathan Martin, to oversee the control of budgets.

"We are going to become leaner and meaner with everything geared up for success," said the RFU's chief executive Francis Baron, though expenditure will initially go up with Robinson's three full-time assistant coaches, Joe Lydon, Dave Alred and Phil Larder, all relieved of their positions yesterday, and Spice, three members of the England academy staff, a nutritionist and an analyst also leaving.

Everyone was informed of the decisions in person yesterday morning. Alred and Larder, both Woodward appointments, have been paid off, and Lydon is considering an offer of a role with the academy. Baron said the RFU would advertise their positions, hoping they would all be filled in time for the June tour to Australia, but in an unguarded moment he revealed that the job in charge of the forwards had been offered to an academy coach, understood to be John Wells. It is believed Bath will be approached over the availability of Brian Ashton to become England's backs coach and Saracens will be asked whether they are prepared to release their head coach Mike Ford to take over from Larder.

Robinson survived because he had the backing of the players; his three colleagues did not. "What came across from the survey of their members conducted by the Professional Rugby Players' Association, as well as the squad and the captain, was that Andy had the support and confidence of the players," said the chairman of the RFU's management board, Martyn Thomas. "Andy is an honest, sincere guy who speaks from the heart. He was upset at what happened in the Six Nations."

The championship campaign, which saw England finish fourth and lose their final three matches, was the trigger for a wide-ranging RFU review that culminated in Wednesday's meeting of the management board when 28 recommendations for change proposed by Baron were accepted, most of them unanimously.

The national side has been integrated into the performance department, which will be headed by the elite rugby director. The chief executive fended off questions about whether Woodward would be considered for the position, saying media reports that he did not want the former head coach returning to Twickenham were without foundation, but admitted that it was a job precious few had the ability and qualifications to fill. Headhunters will be employed to help find a suitable candidate.

"We would prefer the director to be English, but our new academy director is Irish [Conor O'Shea], our elite coaching director is Welsh [Kevin Bowring] and Chris Spice is Australian," said Baron. "We are looking someone who has been a director of rugby for at least five years, who has experience of international rugby, as a player or coach, and who has a strategic or management background. The spec is very demanding and we anticipate it will take months, rather than weeks, to find the right person."

Though Robinson will remain in charge of selection, the elite rugby director will sit in on meetings and advise. As Robinson will report directly to him, rather than Baron as at present, the reforms may be seen as undermining, rather than bolstering, the head coach's position. Woodward's backers at Twickenham say he would be amenable to a return to rugby after spending a turbulent season in football at Southampton, and other names mentioned include the former England centre Simon Halliday and Gloucester's former director of rugby Nigel Melville.

The RFU released a statement yesterday in which Robinson stated that he supported the new structure, but Baron said: "It is not for me to speak on Andy's behalf - he will address the media shortly about the changes. We felt, and he agreed, that England's record since the World Cup [13 defeats in 24 internationals] was wholly unacceptable and that something had to be done. We believe we now have a chance of successfully defending the World Cup."