Brian Ashton was replaced by Martin Johnson at the RFU © Getty Images

Former England captain Phil Vickery, in his column for the Daily Mail, calls on Brian Ashton to take control of the England team for the 2012 Six Nations.

"In many ways Brian Ashton would be the perfect caretaker manager for the next few months and for the Six Nations. The first thing this England team need is to learn to think for themselves - and I couldn’t think of anyone better at encouraging that.

He is the type of coach who looks after players, helps them get some confidence and playing rugby again. His outlook will be refreshing for the guys."

The Guardian's Rob Kitson looks ahead to what could be a key week for the RFU.

"England are poised to appoint a caretaker Six Nations coaching team featuring Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree, but its confirmation will depend on a meeting of the Rugby Football Union board on Wednesday. No decisions have been ratified and World Cup coaches and backroom staff are sweating on the outcome.

While it is understood Lancaster and Rowntree, whose RFU contract still has six months to run, are willing to take temporary charge, one Twickenham insider suggested that Rob Andrew's leading role in the elite rugby department was under threat. "Rob's still fighting battles and he's got to survive tomorrow," the source said. "That's the primary concern for everyone in the department. Then it's a case of what we can do in the short term. No one has spoken to the coaches because everything is on hold until after the meeting."

After another hectic day, on which Martyn Thomas was elbowed aside from his role as acting chief executive and Stephen Brown took his place, the RFU is all but resigned to the fact it will not have a full-time replacement for Martin Johnson until after the Six Nations. Nick Mallett, Jim Mallinder, Eddie Jones, John Kirwan, Wayne Smith and Jake White have expressed an interest in taking charge of the England team. The World Cup coaches John Wells, Mike Ford and Dave Alred, all the subject of unflattering leaked comments from players last week, appear to be on borrowed time. Those in the firing line are still seething at the breach of confidentiality. "It's unforgiveable," said a member of the coaching staff. "I don't think any player will ever contribute to an anonymous questionnaire again."

RFU disciplinary chief Judge Jeff Blackett, talking to Gavin Mairs of the Telegraph, hits back after aspects of his report into the RFU were dismissed by Charles Flint in the latest high-profile event at Twickenham.

"Judge Jeff Blackett, the Rugby Football Union’s disciplinary officer, says his life has been made “very unpleasant” by elements at the top of the governing body since the publication of his report on the sacking of John Steele as chief executive.

Blackett says critical articles have appeared in the press, which he is certain have been inspired by briefing from within the RFU. He has also accused some RFU board members of ignoring him and his wife Sally at social functions.

The high court judge said he has also apologised on behalf of the RFU council to Andy Reed, one of the two independent members of the five-man panel that conducted the review, “for the disgraceful and obviously planted article” in a newspaper “questioning his integrity”."

Paul Rees, of the Guardian, believes Stuart Lancaster and Graham Rowntree have already been handed the reins for the 2012 Six Nations.

"The Rugby Football Union will over the next three days attempt to reassert its authority after months of infighting, sackings, resignations, leaks and out‑of-control speculation have made it the laughing stock of the world game. It will start on Wednesday by appointing an interim coaching team to take charge of England for the Six Nations and agreeing a process to find a full-time replacement for Martin Johnson, who resigned as England team manager this month.

The RFU's board of directors will discuss recommendations from the Professional Game Board, which has spent a month sifting through reviews of England's World Cup, which were leaked last week. Stuart Lancaster, the England Saxons coach, and Graham Rowntree, the senior side's scrummaging coach, are expected to be asked to take charge on a temporary basis."

Brian Ashton, talking to Chris Hewett of the Independent, claims he is yet to hear from the RFU about a potential caretaker role.

"These are startling times for everyone involved in rugby, but few people have been as flabbergasted in recent weeks as Brian Ashton, the former England coach who currently spends his on-field time in Lancashire, working with the National Division One club Fylde.

Ashton woke up yesterday morning to find himself being widely linked with a return to Twickenham in a caretaker role with red-rose team, who are currently in need of leadership after the resignation of Martin Johnson as manager a week ago. It came as something of a shock to the system, to say the least."

Wayne Smith appears to have ruled himself back into the reckoning © Getty Images

The Dominion Post's Marc Hinton looks at the growing confusion surrounding who will take on the reins as England head coach.

"This is getting ridiculous. First Nick Mallet rules himself out of the vacant England rugby coaching job.

Then in again.

And now he's raised Wayne Smith's name as a potential candidate.

Is there a high-profile coach out there who hasn't been connected with this problematic position in charge of the world's most under-achieving rugby nation?

It would appear not."

The Guardian's Paul Rees argues that in the wake of the latest decision involving Mike Tindall, the RFU has lost all sense of direction.

"When Martyn Thomas, the acting chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, announced on 12 October that the governing body's legal and governance director, Karena Vleck, had been asked to investigate allegations of player misconduct during the World Cup in New Zealand, he issued a strong warning.

Any player, he said, found to have breached the RFU's elite player agreement or code of conduct faced punishments ranging from a fine to an international suspension. He added that Vleck would look into all the claims of misconduct and that there would be discussions with Rob Andrew, the elite rugby director, and Martin Johnson, the then team manager, about whether any investigated player would be available for the national side in the future."

The Independent's James Corrigan reflects on the career of Wales' favourite son Shane Williams.

"So this is how it worked out. Ben Cohen was one of the try scorers as England rout Wales and afterwards when asked how he thought Shane Williams played he replied: "Shane Who?" Eight years later, Williams wins the International Rugby Board's World Player of the Year, while Cohen wins Sports Personality of the Year – presented by Gay Times.

No shame there. Cohen is proud of his gay icon image and should be applauded for the work of his Stand-up Foundation which seeks to combat homophobia and bullying. Furthermore, Cohen has no reason to be red-faced concerning his international career. He won 57 caps and is third in England's all-time list of try-scorers. As a World Cup winner he can claim to be a success story."

The Independent's Chris Hewett provides his take on the latest development involving Mike Tindall.

"Mike Tindall, the England centre whose drunken antics during the early stages of the recent World Cup in New Zealand were a significant factor in the collapse of the national team's campaign, was last night reinstated to the elite squad by the Rugby Football Union's outgoing chief executive Martyn Thomas, whose decision will be widely seen as the latest blow struck in Twickenham's increasingly destructive committee-room conflict. Tindall also finds himself £10,000 better off, having had a £25,000 fine cut by two-fifths on appeal.

The Gloucester midfielder and occasional England captain, who earned a World Cup winner's medal in 2003 and also happens to be the newest member of the extended Royal family, found himself plastered all over the newspapers at home and abroad – not to mention every celebrity website – after drinking himself stupid during a players' night out following the opening pool victory over Argentina in September. Security cameras at a Queenstown bar showed him in an advanced state of inebriation, canoodling with a blonde woman who, it was later claimed, was an old friend of Tindall and his wife of a few weeks, Zara Phillips."

James O'Connor contributed 20 points to Australia's 60-11 victory over the Barbarians © Getty Images

"James O'Connor says he is ready, willing and able to play his first Test at No.10, after excelling in the pivotal role for the Wallabies against the Barbarians at Twickenham.

"In his first major appearance at five-eighth, O'Connor had a memorable afternoon on Saturday, guiding the Wallabies to a breezy eight-tries-to-one victory with an assured midfield performance, in which he continually troubled the Barbarians with his front-foot play and willingness to attack the gain line. The extra responsibilities did not affect his kicking either, and he finished with 20 points from seven conversions, a penalty goal and field goal."

Former England hooker Brain Moore highlights the Rugby Football Union's failure to communicate with the grassroots of the game in England, in his column in the Daily Telegraph.

"What is clear is that the average club member - the ones who pay their subs, work on the committees for no reward, mark out the pitches, run the bar - has no idea about and is given no help in understanding how the RFU works, who does what and where responsibility starts and finishes.

"It is no good for those at Twickenham to say that these people are led by the media and that their perceptions are shaped by opinion and not fact because whose fault is that? Why are they unable to communicate the reality to their own stakeholders?"

The Irish Independent's Vincent Hogan offers his distinctive view on former England manager Martin Johnson.

"Before England mistook the Rugby World Cup for an epic stag, I never liked Martin Johnson. Now, inexplicably, I do. Just when the entire planet seems to be crashing down upon him with such sour, malignant focus, I can't see the former England captain and manager as anything but an oversized, vaguely appealing lump who thought he could control a zoo by scowling.

"If that's a crime, he's guilty. But, with Johnson, you get what it says on the tin. To the best of my knowledge, he's not a noted conversationalist. Nobody has ever gone public on him having a secret life on the Leicester stand-up circuit."

The Guardian report that Bill Beaumont's bid to become International Rugby Board chairman has been dealt a blow.

"Bill Beaumont's bid to become the chairman of the International Rugby Board suffered a blow on Sunday when the Asian Rugby Union mandated its delegate to vote for the incumbent, Bernard Lapasset.

"The IRB council meets in Los Angeles on 12 December to decide the chairmanship, having failed to do so at a stormy gathering in Auckland last month when it was agreed to defer the decision to allow tempers to cool down.

"The successful candidate will need 14 votes. Asia's decision at a meeting in Laos to elect Japan's Koji Tokumasu as its delegate rather than the Beaumont‑supporting Trevor Gregory from Hong Kong leaves the current chairman with a potential majority."

Will Rob Andrew be able to ride out the RFU tornado? © Getty Images

As a player, he achieved more than most. But after a disastrous World Cup and with England in turmoil, the top man at Twickenham is now finding the going tough, according to The Observer's Eddie Butler.

"Rugby came easily to Rob Andrew: 71 caps, three grand slams, a World Cup final and two Lions tours speak of a glittering career. When his playing days were over, he stayed in the game, moving seamlessly into coaching, into management and then administration, progressing from job to job according to the rhythm of age, ambition and experience. He climbed rugby's pole without a grease stain. He was squeaky, as in clean; the Teflon Don, the boss to whom nothing stuck. Until now. Suddenly, he is the man on the run through the ruins of Twickenham.

"There is fight in Andrew, a steeliness not always associated with the outside half position. According to folklore, the number 10 is the dainty creator, beloved of the Welsh, who still adore the idea of the tiny string-puller, making giants move to his tune.

"Not Andrew. He played with prosaic ruthlessness, keeping mighty England's forwards content, rolling them on with a precise kicking game. He won games with drop goals – a late one, to add to six penalties, against Wales in 1986; an equally late one to beat Australia in the 1995 World Cup quarter final. If England had wanted poetry, they would have picked Stuart Barnes. They didn't. The mercurial Bath player won 10 caps; Andrew 61 more. England wanted control and coolness and authority. Fancy was for others."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison believes that Sir Ian McGeechan could help England out of a hole if the Rugby Football Union have the courage to appoint him.

"Time is running out like an episode of 24 without Jack Bauer to save the day, so the obvious solution is to turn to the rugby equivalent of IBM.

"In the old days before the advent of PCs there was a saying in the corporate world that no one ever got fired for buying an IBM mainframe. If Twickenham want an obvious win they must go for the obvious choice – an interim coach who commands immediate respect across the board, someone who knows the game in England, someone with good club connections who also knows the players. If the English press was already onside then so much the better because Twickenham needs some good news.

"If the RFU want an easy win ahead of the Six Nations, they have to appoint Sir Ian McGeechan as interim England coach. Admittedly, he’s under contract to Bath but money solves most problems and the RFU made an £8.7 million profit last year.

"At 65 he is the perfect age for the post he previously turned down at the end of the last millennium. He is a proud Scot but that Headingley accent is still there and he knows the English scene better than almost anyone after time at Northampton, Wasps and now Bath.

"Moreover, McGeechan made his name with the Lions, where forging bonds between disparate players in a short time is an absolute necessity.

"That is exactly what England need now for all sorts of reasons."

Warren Gatland has urged Wales stars to put themselves in pole position for 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia starting when they tackle the Wallabies in Cardiff next weekend. The Wales on Sunday reports.

"The dust has barely settled on the 2011 World Cup when Australia beat Wales to third place with a 21-18 victory in the bronze medal match at Auckland’s Eden Park. But Gatland is already focusing on the future and feels Wales’ four Tests with Australia in the next five months provides his stars with an advantage to become Lions heroes in 2013.

"That tour of Australia is little more than 18 months away – but Wales will have a three-Test taster there next June after Saturday’s Millennium Stadium revenge mission.

“Those players who go to Australia will give themselves an opportunity to put their names to the forefront for the 2013 Lions tour,” said Gatland. "It does give you an advantage if you’ve toured there and been successful. You’re familiar with the conditions and the elements and we’ve seen that with Wales."

Rob Andrew is struggling to survive at the centre of the RFU tornado, according to the Sunday Telegraph's Paul Hayward.

"Quite why Andrew wants to remain part of this mess (beyond the obvious explanations of power and salary) when broadsheet newspaper editorials are calling for him to go is a touch baffling, but at least part of the explanation is 2015 and the plans his department already have in place to deliver a side capable of winning the tournament on home turf.

"This chance could be snatched away as early as mid-week at an RFU board meeting, or when a new chief executive lowers his rear on to the HQ ejector seat.

"About the easiest reform for the new boss would be to clear out the man associated, however unfairly, with the rise and fall of Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton and now Johnson, who has taken a lot of shots on Andrew’s behalf and displays no urge to blame him, at least in public.

"A lethal element, still, could be the legal emails suggesting a possible hush-money payment to Annabel Newton, the New Zealand hotel worker, who appears to have falsified part of her evidence against James Haskell, Chris Ashton and Dylan Hartley but was nevertheless subjected to thoroughly objectionable sexual comments by Ashton and Haskell, according to the transcript published in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph.

"If Andrew saw the emails suggesting that the solution to this obnoxious behaviour was to pay the victim to stay quiet — and raised no objection — then he has a case to answer way beyond the confines of a World Cup campaign gone wrong."

Rob Andrew could yet hang on to his role at the Rugby Football Union as support in the organisation is growing for him amid overwhelming public criticism during a torrid week for the organisation, sccording to the Sunday Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher.

"Many RFU members feel the elite rugby director has become the target of an ill-disguised campaign to oust him by parts of the media and want him to stay to take control of the escalating crisis.

"They are determined the media should not be allowed to act as judge and jury and want the “head on a plate” of the person responsible for leaking the damaging Rugby Players’ Association reports.

"The issue will come to a head at a meeting of the board of directors on Wednesday when the acting chief executive, Martyn Thomas, who has never hidden his support for a return to the RFU for Sir Clive Woodward, could force a vote of confidence in Andrew.

"But an RFU council member told The Sunday Telegraph that there was widespread alarm within the organisation about who was “captaining the ship” and that now was not the time to be ditching an experienced older hand who had shown his willingness to fight the RFU’s corner when others have been diving for cover."

If the IRB doesn't change its tune, the Heineken Cup will soon be the only game in town, says Neil Francis in the Irish Independent

"I think Lili von Shtupp said it best in Blazing Saddles when she told Hedley Lamarr it was all over. 'You're finished, fertig, verfallen, verlumpt, verblunget, verkackt!' I have no idea what the literal translation is but I feel it says everything about the international version of the game of Rugby Union.

"Anybody who read my synopsis of the recent Rugby World Cup will not be left under any illusion of what I thought of it. The Dublin Corporation Sewage ship could not adequately describe what a crock of shite it was. The last two weekends of Heineken rugby were a stark contrast to the irredeemable gulf in quality and watchability between the very distinct and separate games of union -- namely the moribund, stagnant game of international rugby as it is currently played and the pan-European brand which is flourishing.

"It has already been observed what has happened in soccer. The last three FIFA World Cups have been awful beyond words. Ninety minutes of brain-numbing tedium only occasionally enlivened by the odd penalty shoot-out which is not really soccer."

The undisputed king of Sevens Rugby, Kiwi Gordon Tietjens, could be the most hated coach in New Zealand. The Sydney Morning Herald's Georgina Robinson reports.

"Notorious for punishing his players in training sessions more gruelling than any game they are likely to play, ''Titch'', as he is known, was called in ahead of the Rugby World Cup to help All Blacks selectors sort the wheat from the chaff.

''I had 17 or 18 that I worked with for a couple of two-hour training sessions,'' Tietjens said from the Gold Coast, where New Zealand are the favourites to win the first tournament in the HSBC Sevens World Series.

''Because the team hadn't been selected, it was for the All Blacks coaches to step back and watch me thrash them and by doing that they got a lot out of those training sessions under fatigue.

''Were their skills-sets up there? Were they fit enough? How accurate was their decision-making? All those questions were answered,'' he said."

The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden reports from Australia's crushing victory over the Barbarians at Twickenham.

"James O'Connor revelled in his first international appearance at five-eighth when he guided the Wallabies to an impressive 60-11 win over the Barbarians at Twickenham this morning.

"It appears certain that O'Connor will be the Test No.10 against Wales in Cardiff next Saturday after Berrick Barnes was forced off the field just before halftime with what appeared to be a back complaint.

"In the absence of Quade Cooper, who has missed the short Great Britain tour because of injury, O'Connor stood up to the mark as the chief playmaker, mixing his options well and showing courage against a Barbarians side which included numerous international rugby greats."

The Sunday Herald's Paul Lewis reflects on England's litany of woes.

"A coach like Henry would quickly sort all that out - were he even interested in coaching another national side - but England rugby has more issues yet. Like their inability to put together a team with athletes who can catch and pass.

"England scored 20 tries in their five World Cup games, which sounds good until you realise that 16 of them came against Romania and Georgia. Wales, generally recognised as a better team, scored 29 from their seven games (21 against Namibia and Fiji). The All Blacks scored 40 tries in their seven matches.

"One of the key differences between the hemispheres is the ability to create and finish. Australian and New Zealand rugby players grow up honing ball skills instinctively."

Steve Hansen faces competition from at least two other applicants for the role of All Blacks coach according to the New Zealand Herald.

"Applications for the role of Graham Henry's successor closed on Friday night and while Hansen is seen as a shoo-in for the role, it is understood that at least two others are keen on it too.

"Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a panel including New Zealand Rugby Union high performance manager Don Tricker during the week beginning December 12. Following the initial interview up to two candidates will be interviewed by the NZRU board. A decision is likely to be made by December 22."

Martin Johnson came to the defence of his former charges on Friday © Getty Images

The former England manager Martin Johnson came out fighting over the recent World Cup recriminations but his defence was unconvincing. The Guardian's Rob Kitson reports.

"Martin Johnson could clearly take no more. The prospect of stewing in silence for another day, let alone another week, was too much, the pent-up frustration too great. "There are opinions and there are truths," he said. "Do not take extreme opinions written in extreme circumstances to be fact." He sounded like a barrister attempting to persuade a court his client's confession had been extracted under duress in a police cell where no one could hear the screams.

"It was a noble effort with a couple of glaring weaknesses. First, the comments to which he was referring were extracted with the aid of neither thumbscrews nor water torture. They were the honest assessments, albeit leaked without permission, of international sportsmen who were under no pressure to say anything bad at all. Nor was it simply one or two individuals belly-aching about the quality of the food at meal times.

"Second, Johnson is no longer in charge of the England team. He is a mere citizen once again with his nose pressed to the glass like everyone else. At times it seemed that new truth has not entirely sunken in. "The fact we have let it get to here is disappointing and the way the game and the team is now being portrayed is damaging."

Australia are being looked upon to provide some light relief against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday according to the Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden.

"The Wallabies are accustomed to heading to Twickenham at this time of the year to be ridiculed by the locals. Sledging of the Australian scrum is the usual November fare in London.

"However, this time around, the Wallabies are being looked upon to provide some necessary light relief at a time when England rugby is seeking any diversion to take their minds away from their own failings.

"When the Wallabies meet the Barbarians at Twickenham early tomorrow morning Sydney time, it is hoped this supposed festive affair will remind all of the fun of playing rugby because, elsewhere at the headquarters of English rugby, there is hardly any joy associated with the 15-man game.

"The Wallabies have been left alone by the British media, who have instead been delving into the latest revelation that has come out of a shambolic review of England's disastrous World Cup campaign."

The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Mairs reports that James Haskell is threatening to sue hotel worker Annabel Newton over false allegations of sexual harassment.

"Telegraph Sport can disclose Haskell’s legal representatives have sent a letter to Annabel Newton, a Dunedin hotel worker, demanding that she withdraw her allegations and confirm that the incident on Sept 9 was no more than “light-hearted banter between herself and the players”.

"The deadline for the apology expired on Friday night and Haskell’s legal representatives have warned Newton that without it their client “will take the appropriate steps to clear his name and to recover his financial loss.”

"Haskell’s lawyer also warns Newton that a video of the incident, filmed by Hartley, will be made public to demonstrate “the falsehood” of the allegations that she has made.

"Haskell is thought to have already run up legal fees of over £80,000 as he bids to clear his name while the fallout from the controversy resulted in a lucrative offer from a Super 15 club being withdrawn."

Leinster and Ireland flanker Sean O'Brien defends the professional rugby player's right to throw off the shackles now and again. The Irish Independent reports.

"On September 17, a tabloid newspaper printed a typically florid account of an international team's booze-filled bonding session in Queenstown's now infamous Altitude bar the previous week.

"Apart from Stephen Ferris becoming an impromptu Page 3 topless model, the story dissipated almost as soon as it hit the news stands.

"Why? Well, aside from the fact that it was the team's only night off in 50 days, or that they all returned home before curfew, or that nobody complained of their behaviour, it was really quite simple.

"The same day the article was published, they beat the pants off Australia when it mattered. Had England managed to combine dwarf tossing with winning rugby, few would have quibbled with their behaviour.

"Results dictate context, especially for punters on bar stools reading about professional athletes on bar stools. And, of course, it's about attitude. Who would you rather have fighting in the trenches beside you, Chris Ashton or Sean O'Brien?"

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley believes Australia's David Pocock is proving to be far more than just a great rugby player.

"As the catchline on the heroesboots website says, “more than just another rugby player”, and talking with David Pocock makes for more than just another interview. It’s actually as humbling as it is interesting.

"A beast of a man, the 23-year-old has been shortlisted for the IRB’s world player of the year in each of the last two years. Pocock’s performance in the Wallabies’ quarter-final win over South Africa was assuredly the individual performance of the tournament and today he captains his country for the first time against the Barbarians.

"As someone reared in Zimbabwe until his family’s farm was confiscated by the government and the family uprooted to Australia when he was 14, his African roots very much continue to shape him."

The New Zealand Herald reports that the Black Ferns are keen to secure some input from former All Blacks coach Graham Henry.

"The Ferns are going through something of a rebuilding phase, which is common the year after a World Cup. They have a new coach (Grant Hansen), new captain (Victoria Grant) and eight new players in the 26-strong squad.

"Hansen has named three new caps in his starting side to face England along with two more likely to earn their first cap off the bench. Lock Eloise Blackwell, wing Shakira Baker and flanker Amanda Murphy will all debut and Rawinia Everitt and Hazel Tubic will start on the bench.

"For most, however, it will be their first game in three months since the NPC final in August and they will also need to back up by playing three tests against the world's second-ranked side in just seven days.

"It's going to be a mission going from no games to three in a week," Grant said. "We will use our full squad of 26 players and see how we come out of each test match, really, and see what we have left. The last test will be the last ones standing because it's going to be a bruising encounter."

The Western Mail's Delme Parfitt reveals the results of a nationwide survey to find Welsh fans' Greatest Ever Wales XV.

"Fullback: JPR Williams - If we’d been choosing a greatest ever world XV, JPR would probably have been favourite for this jersey, so it’s no surprise he’s got the nod here.

"His 95% backing is bigger than that given for any other player in our poll, underlining just how revered and iconic the former Junior Wimbledon winner remains.

"As part of the swaggering 1970s era, he was fearless, skilful, quick, aggressive, and he regarded a breach of the Wales try-line as an invasion of his personal property.

"Factor in the sideburns and the socks rolled down around the ankles, and you have a truly iconic figure."

The Daily Telegraph's Will Greenwood describes how a visit to a hospital to aid the UK’s injured service men and women inspired him to lace up his boots once against for the latest Help for Heroes clash at Twickenham.

"Known to all as Tedworth House, it sits within the grounds of the Tidworth Bulford Garrison and looks as grand as Downton Abbey.

"Yet as you drive up to its front door it is not the shingle pathway, the tall columns, or the huge glassed facade you notice, but the sign reading “Under Construction”. For a place that helps limbless people to rebuild, it shows a keen sense of humour.

"David Richmond is the chief operating officer and goes a long way to explaining the tone of the place. Almost four years ago he was shot in the leg serving his country. He lost 10 centimetres of his right femur and today, as a 44 year-old, he is close to a medical discharge himself.

"He is brimming with passion for the place, which he says is all about dealing with the hearts and minds of those who have been injured, of living out Tedworth’s adopted motto: “Inspire, Enable, Support”.

"David aims to deal with the person, not the soldier. There is no direct military approach; there is routine, yes, but there is freedom away from the barking sergeant major."

Only two years ago the London club seemed to be on the brink of collapse after the 'bloodgate’ saga. Yet not only did they survive, they have thrived and are still unbeaten this season. The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary reports.

"Mick Cleary: Image is important and Harlequins have shown that you can transcend seemingly awful things and come out the other side. Is that a lesson for the RFU, perhaps, that a besmirched reputation doesn’t need to last forever, as long as the right things are done to repair the damage?

"Conor O'Shea: Sport changes so quickly, as do people’s perceptions. We know that we’re not a good side now just as we won’t be a bad side when we lose. This group wants to create history in a different way for the club. We want to win and we want to conduct ourselves properly.

"Mick Cleary: Was there a mission plan when you came in (in March 2010, after Dean Richards had resigned from the club over 'Bloodgate’ in August 2009)?

"Conor O'Shea: To me, the players are everything. It’s up to them to define what they’re about. I did say that we wanted to be the best club in Europe. The players identified a style of play, so that it’s recognisable and everyone can articulate it clearly. There’s a lot of talk about the right culture and that’s the biggest thing I looked at.

"Culture does not just happen. It has to evolve and you have to all buy into it. That’s why it’s important to have young players, such as Chris, commit to the club long-term."

Rob Andrew is facing calls from all corners to resign © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Paul Hayward talks to Rob Andrew about his role at the RFU and why he is not resigning from his post amid the worst scandal to hit the organisation in recent years.

"Rob Andrew says he discussed “sending a player home” with Martin Johnson, the then England manager, during the calamitous World Cup campaign, but now faces his own battle to avoid expulsion from the national set-up.

As darkness fell outside Andrew’s Twickenham office, a small note of shock flared in the eyes of the Rugby Football Union’s elite rugby director. Did he hear himself described on Radio 4 that morning as “the Sepp Blatter of rugby”?

Pause. Engage. Andrew rolled on with a passionate defence of his record.

He refused to be disheartened by editorials in national broadsheet newspapers calling for him to go or Sir Clive Woodward’s observation at the weekend: “The absolute key question for me is whether he has the skill-set to appoint the new coach. Experience says he does not.”

The Guardian's Paul Rees puts together a series of questions which he wants answered in light of the recent turmoil at the RFU.

"1. What happens next?

Assuming the Rugby Football Union stops leaking, on Wednesday the Professional Game Board will present its recommendations to the RFU's board of directors after sifting through various reviews into England's World Cup campaign. It will not have to decide on the future of Martin Johnson or Brian Smith because the team manager and the attack coach have resigned. The futures of the other coaches – John Wells, Mike Ford, Graham Rowntree – will be decided and the remit of the board was to come up with the best candidate to take charge of England for the next four years.

"Given that the start of the Six Nations is little more than two months away, there is little time to appoint a head coach/manager and a full coaching team. A caretaker administration is likely, but the board will then have to decide how to go about making a full-time appointment. It is 14 years since the RFU appointed a coach after an interview process, but with a new chief executive due to be appointed next month, that is the probable outcome. The caveat is that with the RFU, anything can happen."

Former England international Austin Healey, in his column for the Daily Mirror, reflects on his emotions when England were dumped out of the World Cup in 1999.

"Nobody needs to tell me emotions run high when you play for England and are dumped out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals.

I know, I experienced it in 1999. Twelve years on I still remember the way I felt at that moment my dream died.

And I'll tell you something, it wasn't 'There's £35,000 just gone down the toilet'. I sat on a bench on my own for a good 20 minutes and cried. "

Rob Kitson, of the Guardian, believes time is running out for Rob Andrew.

"Rob Andrew is a clever political animal with a remarkably thick skin. Sometimes it can be a conflicting marriage. The average rhino would have fetched its coat long ago and left the Rugby Football Union's offices in search of a quieter watering hole. But Andrew is still in situ as the RFU's elite rugby director, a pillar of rectitude amid crumbling ruins. Or, at least, that is how he would like people to regard him.

Others feel differently. Very differently. "For my money, I don't see what he has done in five years," said Austin Healey, now a sharp-eyed analyst for ESPN. "I have got no idea what he has done. And for him to say: 'Oh look at the Under-20s, they have gone on to great things in the World Cup' – that has got sod all to do with it …that is down to the clubs who have handled their players well. The RFU can't come out of this in its current state." Others are even ruder. "The only time he [Andrew] shows any balls is when he's fighting for his own position," muttered another disgruntled former international."

The Daily Mail speaks to Dick Best, Martin Corry, Jeff Probyn, Geoff Cooke and Steve Hansen over how the RFU can recover.

"Dick Best (Ex-England coach): "It’s a job for one of the two knights in the game — either Sir Clive Woodward or Sir Ian (McGeechan) of Bath. It’s such a mess that there’s no point in giving it to a more inexperienced guy in the likes of Jim Mallinder or Conor O’Shea. ‘I thought when Martin Johnson resigned we might be able to draw a line in the sand but it goes on and on and could be damaging for the sport."

The Independent's James Lawton picks through the carcass of rugby.

"You knew it was bad, very bad indeed. You could see it in the leaden performance and mindless indiscipline on the field and the drunken, lemming self-destruction off it, but you couldn't quite know the extent of the failure, the inadequacy of the people involved, until the leaking this week of three official reports into England's World Cup disaster.

Now the extent of the problem is spelled out in almost every line of recrimination, every pathetic revelation not so much of a dark and mirthless parody of a group of professional international sportsmen and their coaches but a broken, cheap-jack culture."

A Daily Mail Editorial calls on Rob Andrew to resign from his post at the RFU.

"Rob Andrew admits English rugby is ‘at rock bottom’. He accepts the World Cup performance was a shambles and on Thursday apologised for the performance and behaviour of England’s players and coaching staff.

As director of elite rugby, Andrew ‘absolutely accepts responsibility for what is going on’. Martin Johnson, the England coach and an iconic figure who captained England to World Cup glory, knew what responsibility meant — he accepted his role in the shambles and resigned."

Brian Moore, in his column for the Daily Telegraph, puts the knife into the RFU over the recent scandal to hit the organisation.

"The fact that three confidential reports have been leaked is proof that vested interests in the administration are still intent on furthering their own ends, whatever the consequences for English rugby in general.

What is apparent from the reports by the Rugby Players’ Association, the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby is that there was, at best, a lack of understanding and, at worst, complete confusion over what England were trying to do from the time they met before the Rugby World Cup until their exit against France in the quarter-final, worrying signs that if not addressed will irrevocably alter the nature of professional rugby to the detriment of everyone involved.

The players largely absolve Martin Johnson of blame, saying that he was let down by his coaches who, apart from Graham Rowntree, are widely criticised."

Mike Ford was one of the coaches singled out for criticism as a result of the leaked reports © Getty Images

England defence coach Mike Ford, talking to the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary, defends his role in the World Cup.

"Defence coach Mike Ford revealed his hurt on Wednesday night at the image portrayed of English rugby and defended his methods, insisting that he had the backing of the players despite the negative comments about his role in leaked documents.

“Yes, I’m gutted, deflated, dispirited by all this and there is a sense that it’s never-ending,” said Ford. “But it’s very selective.

"Of course, we’re not happy at the way the World Cup turned out but if I felt my position was untenable, or that I’d lost the dressing room, I’d walk away. But I don’t. I don’t blame the players for these comments being out there. They gave them in good faith.

"But I don’t think that they represent the proper view of things. It’s not a balanced picture at all. The worst bits have been cherry-picked."

The Daily Mail's Chris Foy divulges how much the England players are paid per match.

"The levels of greed reportedly at the heart of English rugby’s meltdown can be laid bare after Sportsmail obtained details of the RFU’s player payments structure.

England’s World Cup flops were each paid £41,666 for their five-game campaign in New Zealand — and that was after receiving £8,545 per man per match during the three-Test warm-up programme.

The leaked Rugby Players’ Association report revealed that players and RFU officials had accused certain members of England’s 30-man squad of being more interested in ‘getting cash and caps than about getting better on the pitch’."

Martin Samuel, writing for the Daily Mail, wades in on the leaked reports debate.

"Across 101 pages, it is all there. The corrupting influence of money, the divide between old and new, duff executives, poorly conceived plans, clashes of culture and ego; the parlous state of English rugby laid bare.

The Rugby Football Union wanted a review, and now they have one. Even Frank Rich, the New York Times theatre critic known as the Butcher of Broadway, never penned anything quite as savage as this.

The three reports now being studied by the Professional Game Board tell a sorry tale of a sport on the point of implosion. The players, greedy, unprofessional and conflicted; the coaches, inadequate, lazy and outdated; the management, absent, absent, absent."

The Independent's Chris Hewett look over the leaked reports and provides his take on the matter.

"The Rugby Football Union, in the formidable shape of its chief disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett, last night launched an access-all-areas inquiry into the leaking of three confidential reviews into England's ill-starred World Cup campaign in New Zealand – reports that painted a black picture of confusion, indiscipline and division amongst the coaching staff, the players and pretty much everyone else involved. But even if the governing body identifies the individual responsible, who will be in very serious trouble if unmasked, they will be hard pressed to find any salvation.

English rugby is lying in the gutter and looking anywhere but at the stars, especially now that the Professional Game Board – the body set up to bring the RFU, the Premiership clubs and the players' union together – has proved itself unable to keep its secrets. Some Twickenham insiders suggested that the leak was a deliberate attempt to damage the board's credibility and undermine its growing influence."

The Guardian's Rob Kitson points the finger of blame at the RFU.

"If England supporters found it difficult to stomach the pile of World Cup horror stories on their breakfast tables, imagine how certain players and coaches felt. One or two chose to avoid the newsagents, having already heard enough via radio and social media outlets to suspect it might not be a wise move. From Lewis Moody downwards, however, there was a collective sense of hurt and anger. This was not what the squad bargained for when they agreed to supply confidential details of exactly what happened in New Zealand.

It has left a bitter taste which will linger for some time. As one member of the management put it to me bluntly: "The big question is: 'Why was it leaked now?'" The same allegation constantly resurfaced among other individuals canvassed: they all viewed the leak as a calculated attempt to discredit as many people as possible at Twickenham, thus paving the way for a white knight – or, to give him his full name, Sir Clive Woodward – to return at the expense of Rob Andrew. The damage to the public image of a few stray pawns was clearly not seen as a priority."

The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary gives his view on what the RFU need to do in light of the damning reports.

"There is no way that Rob Andrew should survive this latest debacle, no way he should be allowed to slide into the shadows once again as if in denial of these revelations showing an England camp in disarray and riven with discord.

Andrew has sidestepped his way through many a crisis before now, showing niftier footwork than he was ever renowned for in his playing days, but this time the buck has to stop with him.

There are many items on the charge sheet, the most telling of which is penned in his own hand. His report refers to the fact that in the build-up to the World Cup “a small but very influential group of players were not picked up on their behaviour."

Martin Johnson has been criticised in the latest leaked reports © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary looks at how the RFU can recover from the revelations leaked to the press.

"What a sorry state of affairs. What a shoddy, slipshod and increasingly divided set-up. What a tainted game, at odds with itself, on and off the field. No-one comes out of it untarnished.

Not Martin Johnson, nor his coaching staff (with the notable exception of scrum coach, Graham Rowntree), nor the RFU back-up, nor Rob Andrew, nor the players themselves. It's a wonder England got as far as they did. Thanks goodness Romania put out a weakened team.

Even the recently-formulated guardians of the game, the Professional Game Board, have had their credibility compromised by mass disclosure of what were intended to be confidential documents.

The PGB stood for a modern ways, slicker, more streamlined and less porous than that lot at the union, accepting, of course, that the RFU is part of the PGB. Instead, it's the same old song.

No wonder Johnson walked away from it all. He went before he surely would have been pushed or obliged to go. The revelations about England's chaotic, rancorous World Cup camp would only have made Johnson's position untenable."

The Guardian's Rob Kitson looks at a "culture of avarice, division and confusion in the national team set-up"

"The reputation of English rugby has already received a hammering but the leaking of the confidential reports into the squad's recent Rugby World Cup debacle is as heavy a blow as any. Any pretence that England were unfortunate victims of circumstance in New Zealand has been blown out of the water and replaced by a litany of examples of avarice and muddle-headed thinking.

Some of the details contained within the documents published by the Times will cause apoplexy among those supporters who paid good money to follow the squad. To hear players openly criticising their team-mates for being money-obsessed and detailing the full extent of the divisions within the squad makes it obvious why Martin Johnson felt the need to resign last week. It may even be that the latest revelations will make it considerably harder for the RFU to find a coach prepared to dip his toes into such toxic waters."

The Daily Mail provides their take on the leaked reports from England's World Cup.

"England's Rugby World Cup shambles has been brutally laid bare after confidential reports into events in New Zealand were leaked.

Both players and Rugby Football Union officials accused certain members of England's 30-man squad of being more interested in 'getting cash and caps than about getting better on the pitch' while the failings of Martin Johnson's management style were exposed."

The Daily Telegraph picks over the quotes from the leaked reports.

"Lewis Moody was inadequate, Martin Johnson lacked "b*****", the coaches were laughably inept, and the players were greedy and immature. These are the explosive revelations revealed by a leaked report into England's shambolic Rugby World Cup.

England's calamity in New Zealand was caused by "players more interested in cash and caps" and coaches who were a laughing stock. No one - apart from scrum coach Graham Rowntree - comes out of the accounts with any credit.

Three official and confidential reports, leaked to The Times, were compiled by the RFU under the guidance of Rob Andrew."

Despite financial success, 2011 will be remembered for the World Cup failure © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Mairs provides his take on the RFU's recent financial review and their attempt to paper over the cracks in the organisation

"The Rugby Football Union has exposed itself to further ridicule after chairman Paul Murphy wrote in the governing body’s annual report published on Monday that "it is clear that the union and its staff have been operating at the top of their game."

Murphy remarkably chose to gloss over the political turmoil and succession of bloody coups that resulted in the sacking of John Steele as chief executive and forced Martyn Thomas to resign first as chairman and then earlier this month as acting chief executive officer under the threat of a special general meeting.

Pressure from sports minister Hugh Robertson has also forced the RFU to carry out an independent review of its corporate governance in response to criticisms contained in the Blackett report into Steele’s sacking. But Murphy insisted that RFU staff “have not been distracted by recent challenges” and that “the record achievements of the RFU and its staff in the past year deserve much praise”.

Jamie Pandaram, writing for the Courier Mail, looks at who may step into the void left by David Pocock if the unthinkable happens to the star openside.

"The depth of David Pocock's influence on the Wallabies' performance was captured comprehensively during his absence against Ireland, and presence against South Africa, during the World Cup.

And with the busiest schedule in history facing the Australian players next year, it is of utmost importance that a clear back-up for Pocock emerges.

Confusion surrounds the preferred choice, and this uncertainty bodes well for generation next.

Michael Hooper, who won this year's John Eales medal as under-20s player of the year, could be the man."

The Dominion Post's Marc Hinton questions whether Mick Byrne has the required credentials to join the All Blacks' coaching staff.

"Is New Zealand rugby ready for a revolution? Or more to the point are the All Blacks?

That’s the firming prospect as new coach-in-waiting Steve Hansen assembles his support crew for 2012 and beyond.

Hansen will be the new All Blacks coach. We all know that. Never mind the nonsense of wasting everybody’s time with an interview process for a job that’s already been decided.

But it’s Hansen’s assistant coaches where it gets interesting.

Current skills coach Mick Byrne has the inside running for promotion to an assistant’s job as he looks to take the next step in his career.

But people, are we ready for this?"

Wales Online reveal that Rob Howley turned down domestic advances prior to signing his new deal with the WRU.

"Rob Howley has revealed he turned down club coaching offers to remain part of Warren Gatland’s Wales set-up.

Howley has followed Shaun Edwards’ lead in agreeing a new long-term contract with the Welsh RugbyUnion.

Forwards coach Robin McBryde will also carry on for another year, while kicking coach Neil Jenkins will be involved for another four years.

Howley has agreed a deal that will see him remain part of the national set-up until at least a full season after the next World Cup in 2015."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson looks at the ramifications following Edinburgh's epic win over Racing Metro.

"The big debate has begun again of how a gulf has developed between Scottish and Irish rugby, especially among those of us who remember when our players would beat Irish provinces comfortably.

The second weekend of Heineken Cup rugby provided the perfect illustration of why Scottish rugby has the right to be hopeful of closing the gap, as around 5,000 people return to work this week still full of the excitement of Friday night at Murrayfield and how they witnessed the most dramatic game of rugby, great skill, try-scoring and commitment, many may ever have seen. And on Sunday in Dublin, we saw evidence of where work is needed for improvement in Scottish rugby to happen.

The defeats suffered by Melrose, Ayr and Currie in the British and Irish Cup are relevant too, because in a rugby community as small as Scotland’s, the game from club to international remains bound so tightly that success in one area affects others and, similarly, limits placed upon one has a limiting effect elsewhere."

The international career of veteran Wlaes fly-half Stephen Jones appears to have been ended for him © Getty Images

The Western Mail's Simon Thomas believes veteran fly-half Stephen Jones deserved a fonder farewell after he was left out of the Wales squad to face Australia.

"For Shane Williams, the Millennium Stadium clash will serve as an emotional farewell, with the wing wizard making his 87th and final appearance for his country.

"The game is being unashamedly sold as Shane’s swansong – a chance to see the 34-year-old in international in action one more time before he walks off into the sunset.

"It’s just the kind of send-off the Great Entertainer deserves and a fitting finale to a record-breaking journey. Yet contrast that to the way in which Stephen Jones’ international career is coming to an end.

"There will be no guard of honour or emotional goodbyes for Wales’ most-capped player. That’s because he hasn’t been included in the 28-man squad for the December 3 clash with the Wallabies.

"Unlike Williams, Jones hasn’t given notice of his international retirement and presumably remains available to his country. So, in effect, he’s had his Test career ended for him."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reflects on a dramatic Heineken Cup weekend for the Ireland's provinces.

"After landing a match-winning drop goal in overtime for the second successive game, against Castres in Toulouse, Ronan O’Gara could probably have floated home to Cork on Saturday night. In the event, fog in Cork obliged the squad’s charter flight to circle the city before being diverted to Dublin, though as Denis Fogarty suggested on board: “Let Rog land it. He can land anything.”

"So much for the theory that the weekend’s Heineken Cup activity couldn’t come close to matching the drama of the opening weekend. Not when O’Gara and Munster are around, and following on from the Scarlets’ irreverent bonus-point win at Northampton on Friday night, it sets up the first of the two back-to-back meetings between the Scarlets and Munster in Llanelli on Saturday, December 10th nicely indeed."

The New Zealand Herald reports as All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter prepares for his wedding to Honor Dillon with a stag do in Queenstown.

"All Black Dan Carter marked his final days of singledom on Saturday night with a big evening of partying during his stag do in Queenstown - less than a month before his wedding to long-time girlfriend Honor Dillon.

"The high-profile couple are due to tie the knot early next month at a secret location. Carter and a group of friends marked his last days as a single man before the upcoming nuptials by spending the evening bar-hopping - and were still out at 8am, said one local.

"The group are understood to have spent a large part of the night at Barmuda bar before they were sighted at Bar Up and later headed to Mini Bar where Carter is reported to have tested out his DJ-ing in front of a large crowd."

The Daily Telegraph's Brian Moore knew Jim Mallinder's family when I was at school and the qualities of the favourite for the England coaching job were clear even then.

"Ironically, the traits that made Mallinder a solid, but unspectacular, player are those most important for a coach. The ability to analyse and organise with the necessary detachment is at the root of his success as a coach at club and Under-21 and second team international level.

"While others have done the shouting and cajoling, Mallinder has kept the strategic imperatives in focus. At times with Johnson it appeared that he really wanted to be out on the pitch rather than directing from the stand.

"What Mallinder could achieve as head coach depends on what structure is in place but his time alongside Brian Ashton at the Rugby Football Union means he has worked with the most creative modern coach in England. He has an understanding of the organisation and has proved he can work within it."

Former Australia coach Eddie Jones stakes his claim for England job and praises former foe Clive Woodward in an interview with the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary.

"Jones says he believes there is enough coaching talent in England to enable him to pick an English forwards and backs coach but says it is vital that the squad undergoes a rebuilding process immediately to ensure they emerge as serious contenders in four years’ time.

“The first thing I would do if I was appointed is settle on a style that suits the strength of the players. England’s success has always been based on a strong set-piece. At the World Cup they had a strong scrum and line-out but you have got to be able to use that to the best effect.

“The second thing is getting the selection right. England need the right players to utilise their set-piece dominance and also the right characters to play the game for you. You have got to have some experience in your side. I would start bringing in the exciting young talent that currently exists in England straight away."

The Guardian's Paul Rees reports from Leicester's Heineken Cup victory over Ulster.

"Out with the new and in with the old is a refrain being urged on Twickenham after the resignation of Martin Johnson as the England team manager. It has also been taken up by his former club, Leicester, as they achieved their first meaningful home victory of the season at a point in the campaign when they are usually defending an unbeaten ground record.

"They had been brittle in front of their own supporters but after Ulster led three times in the first half, at no stage for very long, the Tigers took control at forward. When Ben Youngs came on towards the end of the third quarter, the England scrum-half lifted the tempo and sharpened his side's focus.

"This was the old Tigers," said the Leicester director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, who, showing how wacky sport can be, was asked whether he thought he was in line to succeed Johnson, just a few weeks after he himself had been tipped for the sack. "We did just enough and left a good side with nowhere to go."

"The talk was mostly about Johnson, not least whether he would return to the club at which he spent his playing career, and who would replace him. "That job is far too soon for me," said Cockerill. "There are better qualified people than me around, like Jim Mallinder and Toby Booth."

Action replay: Munster's Ronan O'Gara slots a match-winning drop goal against Castres © Getty Images

The Irish Times' John O'Sullivan reports from Munster's latest dramatic last-gasp Heineken Cup victory - this time against Castres.

"It was quite remarkable. Three seconds left on the game clock and Ronan O'Gara dropped back into the pocket just inside the Castres 10 metre line as his forwards sought extra inches and some 20 seconds later the Munster outhalf stuck a delightful drop goal for the second time in the space of a week to ensure a Munster victory.

"Last weekend at Thomond Park it took 41 phases to engineer a position against the Northampton Saints. Tonight in the Stade Ernest Wallon, there wasn't quite the same nerve fraying preamble but the outcome was no less enjoyable for the travelling supporters.

"O'Gara's strike was delightful and within a second of making contact with the ball he wheeled away with his hand in the air. Referee Wayne Barnes waited a little while longer to confirm the score and then blew his whistle for a second time to signal the end of the match.

"The Munster outhalf's ability to function under extreme pressure, to carry the weight, expectation and aspirations of his team on his shoulders and to unerringly deliver is extraordinary. It was at best a fitful performance from the visitors but once again they demonstrated the aptitude to find a solution."

Writing for Iol.co.za, Craig Lewis ponders the options for the Springboks' No.10 shirt.

"South Africa is blessed at the moment to have a number of young flyhalves that have immense potential and the ability to ensure that any debate around the No. 10 position before the next World Cup will be a healthy one.

"...At just 21 years of age, [Pat] Lambie has also already built up a fair bit of experience at a provincial and international level and has never looked out of his depth. Lambie needs to improve his goal-kicking consistency and requires the backing to settle at flyhalf, but the youngster would be an excellent long-term investment at 10.

"...The Lions’ star [Elton Jantjes] finished the year with a stunning man-of-the-match performance in the Currie Cup final that underlined just how much the youngster has matured over the last year.

"...The Baby Boks flyhalf [Johan Goosen] burst onto the senior scene during this season’s Currie Cup, cementing himself as the Cheetahs’ first-choice flyhalf.

The talented Sias Ebersohn finished the Super Rugby season as the Cheetahs’ No 10 with a number of impressive performances, but such is the talent of Goosen that he became the preferred choice during the domestic season."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison reflects on Edinburgh's stunning Heineken Cup victory over Racing Metro at Murrayfield.

"C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre.” That was Général Pierre Bosquet’s comment on the charge of the Light Brigade. You could say something similar about Friday evening’s extraordinary match at Murrayfield, although this time the light brigade in the home ranks scored a terrific win over Racing Metro’s stellar array of big guns.

"In 2015 a TV producer in a London studio will most likely sit down and compile the best bits of the first 20 years of the Heineken Cup and will somehow have to cut this match down to 45 seconds or so. I don’t envy him because there were approximately 80 minutes of highlights on offer. “You won’t see a better match all year,” Michael Bradley said to a crowd of journalists the like of which is usually found only when there is a free drink on offer. I hate to disagree with him but you won’t find a better match all decade."

Whoever takes over as England manager needs to take account of the reduced thinking time available in international rugby, Eddie Butler writes in The Observer.

"[Rob] Andrew's five pillars of wisdom: he is far too bright and astute to allow anything to fall on him, but perhaps he will have to let go of one of them. Having washed his hands of any responsibility for the goings-on – bit of sex, bit of scandal, usual stuff – on the 2008 England tour to New Zealand, he is now scrubbing them to rid himself of any fallout from the World Cup of 2011. He was only the manager in 2008 and only the boss in 2011. Accountability and Andrew share little but a first letter.

"Perhaps he should concentrate on the four things of his five that he does with brio and leave England to others. Such a withdrawal would perhaps persuade Nick Mallett to have a change of heart and throw his cap into the ring. He has worked in South Africa and Italy and knows more about volatile environments than most.

"Is experience at international level important? The names of Sir Clive Woodward, Eddie Jones and Jake White are dropped as naturally as leaves fall in autumn but the next England coach perhaps needs to be driven as much by hunger as knowledge."

The RFU got it all wrong in their past two appointments – they cannot make the same mistake again, according to Dean Ryan in The Observer.

"The fundamental thing is that if the Rugby Football Union are to get the right person they must get the appointment process correct, which they clearly failed to do with Martin Johnson. They must demand three qualities of the new man: credibility, leadership and technical coaching.

"Without credibility you cannot move on to the other two requirements because no one will listen to you. Johnson had buckets of credibility from his status as a player, but it needs to come from the learning process that you can only get from previous experience of management. The leadership aspect of the job is about defining vision and direction and creating an environment to support that. The technical coaching side of things obviously depends on a sound knowledge of the game and the ability to educate and communicate.

"Very few people combine these three qualities and so you need a team that covers their areas of weakness. Every top-end manager or director of rugby is supplemented by people who excel at things he's not good at – as with Clive Woodward's appointment of Andy Robinson. The fact Johnson did not get the right team around him is incredible.

"How could anyone who made the appointment not have seen that, although he was strong on credibility, Johnson had no experience in the other two areas? But we don't know who makes the appointment and there is no obvious accountability for it. Is it Rob Andrew's responsibility to write the job description and find the right man? If it is, he's done it twice and got it wrong twice."

Rugby World-Cup winner Stephen Donald is keen to play part in Bath's return to the glory days. The Sunday Telegraph's Steve James reports.

"His sudden summons from fishing on the Waikato River is a wonderfully alluring story but it does not automatically mean Donald is now the panacea to Bath’s problems.

"It is a point made by the humble Donald himself. “I don’t get carried away with all the hype in the press world,” he says, “I’m no star attraction.

"There’s the English captain [well, Lewis Moody was England captain before retirement], and people like that, so they are the stars. I’m just slipping in the back door.”

"But, of course, there will be many thinking very differently, because the trouble is that Bath, once serial winners, have been military medium for too long now."

New Zealand's Stephen Donald lines up a kick at goal during the recent Rugby World Cup Final © Getty Images

Before the details fade completely from the memory, the New Zealand Herald's re-lives some of the highs and lows from the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

"P Divvy's fine form - "P Divvy continued his fine form, knocking out the observations. When the Springboks found a way to lose their quarter-final against the Wallabies, Div said he felt "three notches lower than a funeral".

"Our favourite though is hearing him announce he had unfinished business and wanted to coach the Boks again. Please SARFU, let it happen.

"...Beaver fever - If the All Blacks' eventual 8-7 victory was a relief for a rugby nation deprived of any World Cup salvation since 1987, the blessing should go to Stephen Donald. While Jonny lamented his many misses for England, Donald was unerring.

"Unwanted and unfashionable, he was levered from his whitebaiting holiday at Port Waikato into a jersey two sizes too small and nailed his solitary penalty attempt from 36m. It was the kick that saved the cup.

"Beaver Fever should be mandatory each year on October 23. Here's looking forward to Beaver Day, 2012."

The Daily Mail's Chris Foy reveals details of the Rugby Football Union's Code of Conduct.

"Schedule 8 - Code of Conduct for players

The highest standards are expected in appearance, conduct and behaviour.

The player will: b) Set a positive example for others... in all aspects of being a professional rugby player such as physical appearance and demeanour.

e) Not wear branding/logos, other than those of RFU sponsors.

y) Not discuss, publish or disclose at any time any information about any aspect of playing for England that would cause offence to any member of the RFU, England squad or management.

z) Avoid compromising situations which may become public and thus bring discredit on themselves, the team and the game:

Players are prohibited from bringing unknown guests back to team hotels (without management approval).

Guidance will be given on post match entertainment by the England Team Manager for each match.

Advice from the medical team regarding consumption of alcohol must be adhered to.

Schedule 9 - Teamship rules

1. No bad language will be tolerated at any time other than within private meetings or training sessions.

7. If you are not selected you are to congratulate the player selected in your position immediately, and face to face.

9. You will not discuss, write or disclose at any time any information about any aspect of playing for England that would cause offence to any team-mate, coaches or management. What happens within the England camp stays within the England camp and remains confidential indefinitely.

10. Support each other in the media. Any contentious issues to be dealt with face-to-face and in private - not via the press."

Adam Ashley-Cooper's switch to Waratahs brings an opportunity to bloom all over again according to the Sydney Morning Herald's Georgina Robinson.

"The new grandfather of the Australian back line, Adam Ashley-Cooper, has conceded he'd gone ''stale'' at the Brumbies and is ready to reinvent his career in Sydney. On the eve of the Wallabies' two-match spring tour, Ashley-Cooper said joining the Waratahs for the 2012 Super Rugby season was a much-needed chance to shake up his game.

''For me it's just an opportunity to start again,'' the 27-year-old said. ''I spent eight years in Canberra and I felt towards the end my football had become a little stale, so the change and coming up to Sydney and being part of the new set-up is very exciting for me. It's a chance to revitalise my career and prove myself all over again.''

"Ashley-Cooper has been proving himself in spades, playing every game of this year's Super Rugby season, every Test and every minute in the Rugby World Cup.

"He travels to Britain today as a veteran of the Wallabies' back line and, in the absence of the injured Drew Mitchell, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale, hopes to shoulder some of the leadership responsibilities."

Brian O'Driscoll is looking forward to beginning his rehabilitation after successful surgery on the shoulder problem that has ruled him out of Leinster's Heineken Cup campaign. The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reports.

"The Ireland captain announced last week that he was going under the knife to correct a persistent shoulder issue and expected to be sidelined for six months, making him unavailable for Leinster's bid to retain their European crown and the Six Nations.

"Having highlighted a first Ireland win over the All Blacks as a major career goal, the hope is for O'Driscoll to return fully fit in time for the summer tour to New Zealand for a three-Test series.

"And that hope was reinforced after this week's medical procedure, with Leinster confirming that O'Driscoll was eagerly anticipating the start of his rehabilitation.

"The operation was a success," said a Leinster spokesperson. "Brian is at home resting and he is looking forward to beginning his rehabilitation over the coming weeks."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley previews Toulouse's visit to Connacht in the Heineken Cup.

"The day of reckoning is at hand, and as 100th games in Europe go, Connacht’s big day is becoming bigger by the day. Sure enough, as befits a game that will be graced by both the Taoiseach and the newly elected President, the four-time Heineken Cup winners, Toulouse, will also mark the occasion by bringing all their galacticos, including recently crowned World Player of the Year Thierry Dusautoir.

"Guy Noves has made 10 changes to the team which went through the motions a little in eventually overcoming Gloucester at home last week, but then again he can afford to. For as also befits the premier outfit in European club rugby, their annual budget is €26 million – by the sharpest of contrasts, Connacht’s is estimated at €3 million."

The Independent's Chris Hewett believes the successor to Martin Johnson must not worry about Six Nations results as much as blooding kids for next World Cup.

"Yet there is a positive side to all this. The new manager-cum-coach will, assuming the Rugby Football Union identifies its preferred candidate sooner rather than later and does not mess up the contractual negotiations to such an extent that everyone ends up in front of Mr Justice Cocklecarrot at the High Court, have virtually an entire World Cup cycle in which to make some sense of this England farrago: to restore some dignity and authority to the national set-up – instil some discipline, develop something resembling a professional culture and, dare we say it, get the team playing some rugby worth watching.

"Where to start? By taking an axe to the squad selected for duty at the World Cup and hacking off at least a third of it. Five senior members of that party are already players of the past: the captain Lewis Moody has retired from international rugby; Mike Tindall is history because he behaved like a fool in a very public place; Jonny Wilkinson, Simon Shaw and Tom Palmer are off-limits because they are playing their club rugby in France and are therefore ineligible under new selection rules. A sixth man, James Haskell, is also abroad and will not feature in the Six Nations, but as he has a future ahead of him rather than behind him, he is likely to return to the elite group when he resurfaces at Wasps next summer.

"We can, and certainly should, add to this list at least half a dozen players – Mark Cueto and Shontayne Hape, Andrew Sheridan and Steve Thompson, Louis Deacon and Nick Easter – who have no realistic prospect of making it to 2015. Cueto and Easter have something to offer England over the next 12 months, as would Sheridan if he could only keep himself fit, but what in God's name is the point? As Johnson himself said in bidding his farewells on Wednesday, modern international rugby is about the World Cup and nothing but the World Cup, save a short and breathless spell of Lions business between tournaments."

Brian Ashton, the former England head coach, claims the “complete mess” at the RFU is likely to have played a key role in both Martin Johnson’s decision to resign as England manager and Nick Mallett’s decision to rule himself out of contention to be his successor. The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Mairs reports.

"Ashton, whose sacking in 2008 paved the way for Johnson’s appointment, has also questioned the commitment of some of the England players, claiming they appeared to be were more interested in the financial reward than giving their all for their country.

“There seems to be a sea change in the players’ approach, and that they are more concerned about the financial rewards and commercial opportunities,” Ashton said.

“It used to be all about getting to wear the white shirt with the red rose and that was enough. I accept that things change — otherwise it would still be an amateur game — but I just wonder now whether that is their main focus.”

"Johnson resigned on Wednesday following England’s disappointing World Cup campaign, which was marred by off-field controversies and culminated in a quarter-final defeat by France.

"Ashton, who controversially lost his job despite taking England to the World Cup final in 2007, claimed Mallett would have been the perfect candidate to replace Johnson but claimed the turmoil at Twickenham had put off the former South Africa and Italy coach."

North is a hot property following an outstanding Rugby World Cup campaign © Getty Images

Scarlets' George North struggles to evade the limelight after superb Rugby World Cup showing with Wales. The Daily Telegraph's Steve James reports.

"Last weekend George North was nervous before the Scarlets’ home match against Castres. It was his Heineken Cup debut after all.

"Nothing unusual in such emotions, except that not many players take such a bow at 19 years old, with 15 international caps, seven of them at a Rugby World Cup where he was picked in many pundits’ team of the tournament, already in the personal cabinet.

“It’s been a nuts year,” North confesses. Indeed it has. A year ago he was on only a development contract at the Scarlets, earning peanuts, when he was summoned to play against South Africa at the Millennium Stadium. He duly scored two tries, and so began a remarkable story that not even shoulder surgery after his third cap (against New Zealand) last autumn could scupper.

"Sometimes, though, fast steep climbs can shock young minds. Not on the pitch, where North was a stunning man of the match against Castres and continues to amaze with his influence upon matches, but off it where North is not entirely comfortable with the attention he is receiving."

The Western Mail's Andy Howell reports that Rob Howley is set to sign a new Wales deal while England assistant coach Graham Rowntree is also on their radar.

"The Western Mail understands an announcement on Howley, who has turned down the chance to join Bath to remain with [head coach Warren] Gatland and Wales, is due shortly.

"With kicking coach Neil Jenkins already on board as a member of the WRU staff, it just leaves the position of Gatland’s forwards coach Robin McBryde to resolve.

"McBryde’s contract runs out after the Six Nations and we understand the WRU are not planning to hold talks with him until the new year.

"Gatland is an admirer of the work McBryde does with the forwards, but intriguingly Wales are being linked in the London media with a move to lure highly-rated Rowntree across the Severn Bridge to bolster the WRU coaching set-up further."

Edinburgh prospect Harry Leonard will continue his rise against Racing Metro tonight but insists he’s no star yet, writes The Scotsman's David Ferguson.

"The most animated Harry Leonard gets during a chat in Edinburgh is when it is suggested that he is among a group of young men beginning to light up Scottish rugby.

"Up until that point, he’d been a fairly relaxed interviewee, looking back on his life so far from childhood in Brighton to the Heineken Cup, via Prestonpans, the long grass of Meggetland and training sessions with All Black Dan Carter.

"It was all very convivial but, the suggestion he was a rising star, brought the teenager out of his chair.

"No, no, no, you can’t say that,” said the 19-year-old, with a stare. “I’m not the latest ‘star’. Not in the slightest. I’ve only played three games, four hopefully this week and, hopefully, five next week. I just keep looking to the next job, next training session and next game.”

According to the Guardian's Rob Kitson, England must get the decision regarding a new coach right before 2003 is a faded memory.

"So no pressure then. English rugby can talk forever about structures and reviews and pathways but ultimately it has to put its faith in one individual as the next head coach of its national team. That the 2015 World Cup is being staged in England effectively trebles the stakes. Get this pivotal decision wrong and the country will have blown its best chance in decades of repeating the increasingly dog-eared triumph of 2003.

"Much depends, of course, on what the Rugby Football Union is aiming to achieve. If it wishes to repeat the cycle of failure in which it is stuck, it need only reject the advice of the Professional Game Board and other notable voices and keep muddling on. Let us assume, though, that recent events really have concentrated minds and also that the new man will have total responsibility for team affairs and will report directly to the RFU's incoming chief executive. If there is to be a performance director, he should work in conjunction with the coaching staff, not as their de facto boss.

"For those who doubt whether that is practicable, step forward Andy Flower. The transformation in English cricket since he took the job cannot be overstated. If you have the right man setting the right tone, a man who can talk to professional players, schoolkids and the media with equal good sense and honesty, an awful lot of other things fall into place."

At 32, Connacht hooker Adrian Flavin is hoping to catch Declan Kidney's eye during the province's Heineken Cup adventure, he tells the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"The heavy clouds, wind and rain may have painted a different picture yesterday, but this is Connacht's week in the sun. The Heineken Cup... Toulouse... the Sportsground ... you would never have joined those dots a few years ago, but Connacht's 'Jim'll Fix It' dream is about to become reality.

"The province has never known such attention. Media requests are flooding in, with Ireland internationals Gavin Duffy, Mike McCarthy and John Muldoon in heavy demand, along with young centre Eoin Griffin -- whose rise to prominence has earned him the tag of 'Grico' from a squad who do not allow anyone to lose the run of themselves.

"And that is the ethos of Connacht. This is no place for superstar notions or unchecked egos. It is a haven of hard work and unheralded aspiration, a home for the lesser lights of the Irish professional game, men who have toiled away for years in the shadows and are now ready to step into the glare."

Melbourne Rebels recruit Kurtley Beale has played down concerns that the side's off-field exploits will overshadow their Super Rugby performances. The Sydney Morning Herald's Georgina Robinson reports.

"With two big-name signings, last year's Super Rugby wooden spooners the Melbourne Rebels are suddenly packed with promise.

"Wallabies Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor will join good friend and England import Danny Cipriani to form a potentially explosive play-making trio and lift the fortunes of the competition's newest franchise.

"And yesterday Beale moved to dispel any concerns the trio's off-field activities would take the shine off their exploits on the field.

''I think we've all got this expectation of ourselves and what we bring to each other and also to our teammates, so we don't want to let anyone down and let anyone think that we're only in it for just the fun side of things,'' the 22-year-old said."

A schoolboy, two brothers and a lack of a halfback are features of the list of Otago contracted players announced yesterday. The Otago Daily Times' Steve Hepburn reports.

"The squad will begin training next month in preparation for the ITM Cup, due to start in mid August next year.

"Otago Boys' High School First XV captain Michael Collins has been signed by Otago for three years and named in the squad, the first player to be signed at that level straight from school.

"We're thrilled to have contracted him,'' Otago Rugby Football Union chairman Wayne Graham said. "He is obviously an Otago boy and we are glad to be able to keep him here. To be able to secure him when there were a few after him is great. He is a talented player who we feel has the skills and talent to play at this level.''

"Collins, a midfield back, was the only South Islander selected in this year's New Zealand Secondary Schools side."

Jim Mallinder is the early England-born favourite to succeed Martin Johnson © Getty Images

Brendan Venter, in his column for the Telegraph, backs Jim Mallinder as the right man to succeed Martin Johnson.

"Jim Mallinder is the right man for the England job because he is the only one of the candidates who is a classic head coach prepared to get his hands dirty and build a team from scratch.

He did this at Northampton when he took the club from the first division to the Heineken Cup final in less than four years, and I believe he can make England one of the most difficult teams to beat in Test rugby.

Australia have been second only to New Zealand over the past two years because Robbie Deans is an old-fashioned coach like Mallinder. He is there on the training paddock coaching the sessions and calling the shots.

Deans won numerous Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders as a pure head coach and the Australian Rugby Union were very smart to get this kind of leader locked into a long contract.

With a manager, and not a coach, at the helm, England have lacked direction and have gone into big matches without a defined style of play. A team with Mallinder at the heart of the tactics and training will leave observers in no doubt about how they play. England will be a direct, hard and physical side that will ask serious questions of any team they play.”

Chris Hewett, appearing in the New Zealand Herald, gives his reasons for why Martin Johnson was the wrong man.

"It was born under a bad sign - the stars were out of alignment from the start, thanks to the despicable, hole-in-the-corner way the Twickenham hierarchy behaved in ending Brian Ashton's tenure as the head coach of the England rugby team -and it ended in a black hole of the governing body's own making.

Martin Johnson, betrayed by some of his best-known players and befuddled by the demands of running a major international sporting concern without a scintilla of relevant experience on which to draw, knew there was only one sensible decision to make, and he made it yesterday. If only his decision-making had always been so clear-minded, so decisive, so right."

The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Mairs claims Wales are looking at England scrum coach Graham Rowntree

"Wales believed to be weighing up a move to lure England assistant coach Graham Rowntree to bolster Warren Gatland's backroom team ahead of the 2012 Six Nations tournament.

Gatland, who worked with the former England prop as part of the British and Irish Lions coaching team in South Africa in 2009, is believed to be keen on appointing Rowntree as his forwards coach, with incumbent Robin McBryde expected to part company with the Welsh Rugby Union in the next few weeks.

It is understood that Rowntree, one of the few England coaches to emerge from England’s dreadful Rugby World Cup campaign with an enhanced reputation, may also be targeted by Scotland head coach and former England coach Andy Robinson."

Richard Williams, of the Guardian, looks at back at happier times for Martin Johnson.

"Rewind the past three and a half years, then erase the tape. Remember Martin Johnson the way he deserves to be remembered, as the dark-browed, monosyllabic, iron-clad lock who led England to the finest hour in their rugby history and then retired to watch his small daughter grow up. Not as the man who sat down at Twickenham to announce his departure from a job he should never have been offered in the first place.

There are people you don't mind watching take a bit of pain, usually as a payback for getting above themselves, but Johnson is not one of them. No one reaches the heights he scaled as a player without acquiring a certain confidence in their own abilities, yet neither as captain of England nor as team manager did he display anything you could reasonably describe as arrogance. Impatience with those he considered fools or timewasters, now that was another thing."

Paul Rees, of the Guardian, looks at Martin Johnson's troubled reign.

"Hugo Porta, the former Argentina outside-half, lamented earlier this month that rugby union had become a game of muscle rather than skill. His remarks went almost unnoticed here, even though he made them in London, a symptom perhaps of why Martin Johnson this week decided that he had had enough of being England's team manager.

Johnson had spent most of his 40 months in charge of England fending off questions which were not concerned about the playing of rugby (most of those which were game-related tended to be about when he was going to shake up his coaching team or dump Shontayne Hape from his midfield). Even when England were playing well, against Australia last November and at the start of this year's Six Nations, he kept being asked about Chris Ashton's swallow dive and whether the wing would be dropped for disobeying an instruction to touch down in a more conventional way."

The Daily Telegraph's Ian Chadband looks at Martin Johnson's faded aura.

"As if boarding one of those Space Mountain roller-coasters which you just know with some trepidation will plunge you into darkness at some point, we knew Martin Johnson’s journey as England’s rugby manager would dip us wildly into the unknown.

It was almost an act of faith, really. There was a widespread, almost touching, conviction from many disciples that at the end of the ride, everything would turn out just dandy because of who was at the helm. People believed simply because the driver was Johnno. Yes, good old steely, invincible Johnno.

So when in that first November of his reign, his England succumbed to three successive defeats to the Tri-Nations giants by the combined total of 102 points to 26, perhaps England’s most miserable autumn series of all, no panic. Not with Captain Marvel in charge; a man to be trusted, a man to be followed. Never mind the lack of L plates; just feel the force of will."

Martin Samuel, in his column for the Daily Mail, gives his take on Martin Johnson's resignation.

"The famous beetle brow furrowed a final time as Martin Johnson discharged his last patriotic duty for England. Resignation in the air, resignation on the page, resignation in his eyes.

He was given the opportunity to blame the boss sitting by his side, to blame his players, to spread the taint of failure across his staff. He chose instead to stand alone.

'You put someone in charge of it,' he said, 'they're in charge of it.' And in that brief but all too typical assessment - an upmarket version of his self-mocking mantra, 'It is what it is' - Johnson accepted more responsibility for England's wretched World Cup than any of those around him."

Iain Balshaw was best man at Mike Tindall's wedding © Getty Images

The Telegraph's Gavin Mairs chats to Iain Balshaw - the best man at Mike Tindall's wedding - about how the England centre is coping following the recent high-profile events.

"Iain Balshaw, who was best man at the July wedding of Mike Tindall to the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, has no doubts that his former Bath and Gloucester team-mate will come through the crisis that has seen him stripped of his England place, fined £25,000 and publicly humiliated.

“He showed in Sunday’s Heineken Cup performance against Toulouse that he has the ability to bounce back and I’m sure that’s exactly what he will do,” said Balshaw, in European action himself last weekend for Biarritz against the Ospreys.

“Considering what’s happened to him over the last five or six weeks, it was a fantastic display. He’s a bit frustrated about everything that has gone on. I don’t know the full extent of the story but he knows that he’s probably had one too many. He’s in good spirits, though.”

Shaun Edwards, in his column for the Guardian, reflects on his new contract with the WRU and claims England never made contact regarding a job at the RFU.

"The Ts have been crossed and the Is dotted, so for the next four years, until at least the 2015 World Cup in England, I'll be with Wales. Adds a bit of spice to life doesn't it, but there are bound to be those who say: "Why not England?" Well, the simple answer is that they didn't ask.

Some time, a bit further down the line, there may come a time when I get to wear the red rose. It is something I would enjoy because, after all, I'm English and representing your country is what you aspire to. However, at the moment I don't want to talk about England.

I did get a few other calls once it became known that I was a free agent but since the day I left their employ, Wales and the WRU chief executive, Roger Lewis, have been perfectly professional about getting me back on board. Even before we left New Zealand and the World Cup we had spoken and when the Wasps situation became apparent that was taken into consideration as well."

With Zac Guildford in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Mark Reason, of the Dominion Post, looks at the rugby public's perception of alcohol.

"Sebastian Flyte, his body pierced by a variety of wines, leans in through the open window of Charles Ryder's college rooms and is violently sick. If only Zac Guildford had been born a fictional aristocrat.

Then he could have quaffed and chundered for New Zealand, strolled around with a disobedient teddy bear and generally had a good time without anyone caring too much.

But Guildford, despite his prettiness, is not from the Arcadian world of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. He cannot ask: "Ought we to be drunk every night?" and receive the rather languid reply: "Yes, I think so." Guildford is an All Black, a professional athlete. Guildford is a role model. It's a holy trinity that comes with a very confusing creed for a young man.

It's a creed that glorifies drinking and then says: "Thou shalt not". Up and down the country rugby clubs challenge each other to drinking games. Prizes are frequently spent behind the bar. You're a wimp if you can't down your pint in one. But we turn to our young All Blacks and say: "Thou shalt not"."

Scotland legend Finlay Calder, talking to the Scotsman's David Ferguson, believes there are reasons to be optimistic if you are Scottish.

"Finley Calder can recall many great performances from Scotland teams with which he was involved and he is renowned as one of the game’s straight-talkers off the field. So, when he forecast a Calcutta Cup victory it drew real interest.

Now 54, the former Scotland and British and Irish Lions captain joined forces with a host of former Scotland and England internationalists to support the new Glengoyne Auld Enemy Dinner in association with The Scotsman, which will be held on the eve of the Calcutta Cup each year in Edinburgh and London, to raise money for the Help for Heroes and Bill McLaren Foundation charities.

Calder believes Scotland’s early World Cup exit should no longer be a cause for disappointment but that the lessons learned from defeats to Argentina and England can help launch the 2012 RBS Six Nations Championship with victory over the Auld Enemy."

Gavin Maris, writing for the Telegraph, claims Wales are eyeing up a move for England's scrum coach Graham Rowntree.

"Wales believed to be weighing up a move to lure England assistant coach Graham Rowntree to bolster Warren Gatland's backroom team ahead of the 2012 Six Nations tournament.

Gatland, who worked with the former England prop as part of the British and Irish Lions coaching team in South Africa in 2009, is believed to be keen on appointing Rowntree as his forwards coach, with incumbent Robin McBryde expected to part company with the Welsh Rugby Union in the next few weeks.

It is understood that Rowntree, one of the few England coaches to emerge from England’s dreadful Rugby World Cup campaign with an enhanced reputation, may also be targeted by Scotland head coach and former England coach Andy Robinson."

Mike Tindall was a man in demand during the World Cup © Getty Images

The Daily Mail's Chris Foy reveals that the RFU paid for a free bar on the night the England players went on their infamous trip to the 'Altitude Bar' in Queenstown.

"The drunken night out that cost Mike Tindall his England career was partly paid for by the Rugby Football Union.

Former skipper Tindall is still awaiting a hearing date for his appeal against the £25,000 RFU fine imposed for his behaviour during England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign.

Meanwhile, Sportsmail can reveal the union encouraged the start of the infamous ‘dwarfgate’ night out and even arranged to pay for players’ drinks."

Marc Hinton, writing for the Dominion Post, claims Zac Guildford needs help and one more chance.

"Rugby will not - and should not - wash its hands of Zac Guildford. To hang the young man out to dry right now would be to desert him in his moment of need.

Guildford is clearly a troubled individual who may or may not have just hit rock bottom. If he hasn't reached ground zero, he has certainly plunged pretty near it after his latest series of incidents in Rarotonga.

There are those out there who believe he should be sacked from his job as an employee of the New Zealand Rugby Union and its franchise offshoot the Crusaders because of his unacceptable behaviour while on holiday in the Cook Islands."

Mick Cleary, of the Daily Telegraph, reflects on Mike Tindall's huge fine.

"It would appear that there is no way back for Mike Tindall. The sanction handed down on Friday by the Rugby Football Union was brutal.

The England centre was smacked as hard as he has ever been, stripped not only of his shirt but of his reputation and dignity. The image of Tindall as an unreconstructed Rugby World Cup tour-wrecker, letting down his mates and manager, will not be easily repaired.

Yet as he surveys the bleak landscape, thinking that he will forever be branded as the man who besmirched England’s campaign in New Zealand, Tindall might care to think back to another 2003 World Cup hero and wonder how it is that Lawrence Dallaglio is still toasted the length and breadth of the land. And rightly so."

The Courier Mail's Jamie Pandaram writes that Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is still weighing up who he will opt for at fly-half in the forthcoming tour of Great Britain.

"Berrick Barnes and James O'Connor will form the five-eighth/centre combination for the Wallabies' tour but the order has to be finalised.

Coach Robbie Deans confirmed today that O'Connor remains a genuine chance to wear the No.10 jersey in Quade Cooper's absence for the games against the Barbarians and Wales.

While it was expected that O'Connor would move from the wing to inside centre, and Barnes to five-eighth, Deans does not want to commit just yet."

The Dominion Post's Ian Anderson calls on All Blacks winger Zac Guildford to get the sack following his latest misdemeanour.

"It's time to give Zac the sack.

Zac Guildford's inexcusable behaviour last week in Rarotonga should be the final straw for his employers in dealing with a man who has drunkenly stumbled his way over the dead-ball line.

The All Blacks and Crusaders wing has been "called to account" three times in the past 18 months for alcohol-related incidents. If he was a professional baseball player he'd have been struck out.

Guildford's Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said that his wayward charge was a "bloody good boy, he's a good kid".

Therein lies part of the problem – at 22, Guildford needs to grow up.

I can sympathise that Guildford may have had problems dealing with the death of his father. I know from experience that losing a parent when you're not mature enough to deal with the hurt and void takes time and growth to overcome.

But eventually excuses grow tired."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scotland coach Gregor Townsend and predicts a bright future for the national squad.

"Gregor Townsend was not making bold promises about Scottish rugby’s decade and more of struggle on the international stage being over, but the former Scotland stand-off believes there are genuine signs of a turnaround looming for the national squad.

Townsend was a pivotal figure when Scotland last claimed some meaningful silverware, the last Five Nations Championship in 1999, in which he scored against all nations, and yesterday he rolled back the years in helping team-mate from that time Stuart Reid launch the Glengoyne Auld Enemy Dinner at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, an event in association with The Scotsman that will raise money for Help for Heroes and The Bill McLaren Foundation.

Townsend believes there are good times around the corner again, and spoke of his delight at watching Edinburgh and Glasgow open their Heineken Cup campaigns with wins over leading English clubs at the weekend, and excitement at the prospect of players such as Duncan Weir, Stuart Hogg, Rob Harley, Matt Scott and Harry Leonard coming through to the Test arena over the next couple of years."

Munster's Ronan O'Gara celebrates his match-winning drop goal at Thomond Park © Getty Images

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reports from Munster's last-gasp Heineken Cup victory over Northampton at Thomond Park.

"Stand Up and Fight, and Until the Final Bell indeed. In a tournament that pours out the drama as if on tap (though you could never bottle it) no team has patented last-ditch dramatics, especially at their Thomond Park fortress, more than Munster, while no player in the game’s history has assumed this responsibility more than Ronan O’Gara – and no one has delivered more than the Cork maestro.

"However, at the summit of a pulsating weekend, even by theirs and his standards this was a bit special. With 77 minutes gone and a scrum inside the Northampton half, Munster were trailing in a cracking contest by 21-20.

"Not only were their Heineken Cup prospects seriously imperiled, but coming after last season’s failure and the Challenge Cup defeat to Harlequins, so too was the mystique they’d built up with a home record second to none.

"The fat lady was clearing her throat and not for the first time, Munster were staring into the abyss. But it’s when they stare into that abyss that Munster find themselves. To witness that 41-phase drive which culminated in O’Gara’s 40 metre-plus drop goal was to behold something that almost defied belief. You get goosebumps just thinking about it."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports from Glasgow's dramatic Heineken Cup victory over Bath at Firhill.

"After a turbulent week for the young lock, Richie Gray emerged as Glasgow’s match-winner by scoring a stunningly bizarre try with the last act of this game to cap an historic weekend for Scottish rugby.

"The 22-year-old, who announced last week that he had agreed a move to Sale next summer, was first to the bouncing ball in the last seconds after Duncan Weir’s attempted drop-goal was deflected and then bounced backwards over the head of Bath full-back Nick Abendanon ten metres from the posts.

"Gray’s nearest challenger was the equally impressive Warriors flanker Rob Harley, but the 6ft 9in second row’s reach claimed the ball and he was then driven over the line as his and Harley’s force combined with that of despairing Bath tacklers.

"French referee Christophe Berdos went to the television match official, which only delayed confirmation of what everyone in Firhill knew, but Gray’s leap of delight when the whistle sounded sent the 4,000-plus support delirious."

The Daily Express' Steve Bale was impressed with the performance of Owen Farrell in Saracens' opening Heineken Cup victory over Treviso.

"Owen Farrell is far from the only Saracen worth England’s attention, if only there was anyone to give him or anyone else any attention at a time when there is a Six Nations squad to work out ready for the new year.

"Instead, English rugby is in a vacuum as well as torment, so another worthy showing by Farrell in yesterday’s uncomplicated bonus-point Heineken Cup opener in Watford against the outgunned Italian ‘superclub’ went largely unremarked – unless someone relevant was watching on TV.

"Farrell, 20, is the Premiership’s player of the month and was last night’s man of the match.

"He has his supporters for immediate inclusion among the next England selection, whoever makes it, along the lines of a number of Welsh players who flourished at the World Cup when Warren Gatland had the courage of his convictions."

The Western Mail's Simon Thomas reports on the Welsh Rugby Union's new deal with assistant coach Shaun Edwards.

"Lewis began initial talks with rugby league great Edwards over his future while Wales were out in New Zealand at the World Cup.

"Those discussions stepped up a gear on their return following the announcement that Edwards was parting company with Wasps.

"Lewis travelled north to Wigan to meet Edwards and his representatives a couple of weeks ago and, after holding talks with Gatland last week, he moved to seal the deal.

“It was more than apparent through the extraordinary coverage in the UK press that Shaun was in considerable demand from many quarters and there were many options open to him in this country and in Europe,” said Lewis."

The Daily Voice sheds some light on the fatal shooting of former Springboks flanker Solly Tyibilika who died of his wounds in Cape Town on Sunday.

"One witness was in the shebeen when two men walked in and blasted Solly to death.

"One of them came to me and told me to ‘move to the side’. He said he wasn’t here to shoot me, but Solly who was sitting behind me,” the witness, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily Voice.

“I ran and went under the table and then I heard them shooting too many rounds to count.

“After that they left, but I was too scared to move and I could hear him (Tyibilika) struggle to breathe.

“I waited until people came to see what happened and ran to my car and went home.”

"The Gugulethu man insists the murder was a clear hit."

The New Zealand Herald's Dylan Cleaver reports on All Blacks winger Zac Guildford's latest drunken antics.

"Every regular on the Hawkes Bay social scene has their own Zac Guildford story and they all involve the combustible ingredients of his latest disgrace: alcohol and obnoxious, sometimes violent, behaviour.

This cannot have escaped the attention of Hawkes Bay, Crusader or New Zealand rugby bosses, but so far none have been able to impress upon the wayward wing just what he is on the verge of throwing away.

"That's the fascinating part of this story, not Guildford's behaviour per se. We can summarise that simply by saying he has a binge-drinking problem that does not differentiate him from thousands of "normal" young New Zealand males - the incongruity being that his skills as a rugby player and the rewards that bring means he does not qualify as a "normal" young New Zealander.

"In recent years, rugby officials have assumed that the sport can play a big role in helping those with anti-social issues. That's why they kept giving guys like Sione Lauaki and Jimmy Cowan second and third chances. They believe that professional rugby, by and large, provides a positive environment for young men."

Last week Martin Johnson was interviewed by Rob Andrew over England's World Cup debacle © Getty Images

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ian Stafford claims that Martin Johnson is set to walk away from his role as England manager following a revelatory review process.

Martin Johnson's future will be decided within days after further damaging details in the Mike Tindall affair were revealed to the England team manager during a bruising Twickenham inquiry into the World Cup debacle.

"Johnson, 41, is distraught after finding himself in the line of fire during last week’s two-day management review headed by the RFU’s professional rugby director, Rob Andrew. The manager’s coaching team, some of whom are certain to be axed following England’s disappointing World Cup, are trying to persuade him to
stay on.

"But Johnson, told at the review that England’s lucrative sponsorships deals have been thrown into jeopardy by the bad publicity over the World Cup, now believes his position has become untenable and he may decide to resign within the next few days."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Paul Gregor asserts that, though talented, Zac Guildford - compared to his team-mate Israel Dagg - is not a world class talent worth special treatment, following further accusations of the All Blacks winger being involved in drink-fuelled bad behaviour.

"The best hope for Guildford now is that he's on his last chance - that he will, possibly against all better judgement, be allowed to prove he's not a lost cause.

"But sadly he probably is. He's a recidivist offender and that's a concern for the New Zealand Rugby Union; trust is hard to build when it's broken so easily and so regularly.

"The national body already knows that Dagg is most definitely worth saving. His star shone brightly throughout the World Cup and he's got the goods to be a player of memorable significance. And maybe this is coming down to something of a Sophie's choice - maybe only one of Guildford or Dagg can be managed through to a better life."

In the Sunday Telegraph, Paul Ackford hits out at his former England team-mate Rob Andrew's vindictive and hypocritical treatment of Mike Tindall following the centre's fine and expulsion from the England squad.

"Mike Tindall should never play for England again because, at 33, his best days are behind him, and he still can’t pass a rugby ball properly.

"His two convictions for drink-driving, coupled with his behaviour in Queenstown when he claimed not to remember going to a second bar, would suggest that his relationship with alcohol is a troubled one. But to slap a £25,000 fine on him for going off the rails on a sanctioned night out during England’s World Cup campaign is unnecessarily vindictive.

"Rob Andrew was the man behind the punishment, the same Rob Andrew who, three years ago, sat in a Christchurch hotel, and refused to take any responsibility for a tour to New Zealand which he was managing while Martin Johnson stayed at home to attend his pregnant wife, and where the behaviour of England’s players resulted in a police inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct.

"I remember the occasion well. As Mike Ford and John Wells, the two coaches either side of Andrew, shifted in their seats in embarrassment, Andrew was asked twice if he was in any way accountable for the actions of his players, on or off the pitch. Nothing. No apology. No explanation. Nothing.

Writing in The Scotsman, Tom English looks at the increasing concern for brain injuries in American Football and considers what rugby union can learn from their findings.

"Now, up to 500 athletes in America have committed to donate their brain upon death in an attempt to advance the research of the dangers of this condition to sportsmen competing in attritional competition. Many of the deceased National Football League (NFL) players lived out their post-professional years suffering memory loss, impaired judgment, severe headaches, aggression, depression and, in some cases, dementia – the classic symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Up until last year the NFL was in denial about the relevance of CTE to its game. Now? It is convinced of its dangers and is a huge, if belated, campaigning force to raise the awareness.

"Robert Cantu is wondering about rugby. He knows the sport, has played an active part in the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) medical conferences, has seen some games where the hits have been immense and is suspicious of what might lurk beneath the surface. Sure, American football is an entirely different game to rugby. Until recently the NFL allowed players to effectively use their helmeted head as a weapon against another player. Head-on-head collisions were commonplace in that sport whereas they never have been in rugby.

"And, yes, the research is at a very early stage, too early to extrapolate too much from what they’ve discovered. Also, rugby woke up to the dangers of concussion a while back. Or it likes to think it has anyway. The avoidance of head injuries is the number-one priority, says the IRB. “Is it relevant to our game at the moment? I’d question that, but we want to make the game as safe as possible,” says Martin Raftery, the recently appointed chief medical officer of rugby’s governing body. “There has been no recorded case of CTE in rugby and we’re always looking at this area.”

Bath prop David Flatman, in his column in the Independent on Sunday, has no doubts that Ireland skipper will return to the rugby pitch following an operation on his shoulder, which has caused others to question his future,

"Brian O'Driscoll is 32, has achieved masses, is regarded as one of the greatest of all time and is seriously injured. Inevitably, news of an operation that will leave him on the sidelines for six months has led to questions over his future. Clearly the two of us are barelycomparable in sporting terms, but one thing we share – because pretty much all rugby players do – is a chemical inability to accept defeat.

"Without being too crass, I suspect his financial position is somewhat more comfortable than mine, so this makes life easier, without question. Mind you, the day he quits I expect a lot of extremely lucrative endorsement deals will also cease, so there are ramifications and, whether it's romantic or not, this is professionalism. But what we know about this man is that he cares. He really cares.

"There have been few more driven men than O'Driscoll in world rugby, and watching him on the field for five minutes tells us all we need to know: he'll be back, and it will be like he was never gone."

Former Wales international turned rugby commentator Eddie Butler reveals his all-time greatest Wales XV in the Western Mail.

"Barry or Phil; Phil or Barry? It would be so easy to steer clear of the choice.

"Hell, Barry or Phil?

"Long ago, I wrote down my final, definitive, set-in-stone selection, and now I’m going to change my mind. The 10 shirt goes to Phil Bennett."

Mike Tindall was at the centre of a high profile incident while on tour in New Zealand © Getty Images

Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson hits out at the RFU for their handling of the Mike Tindall affair in his column for the Daily Mail.

"The £25,000 fine for Mike Tindall is draconian and another example of the crazy decision-making going on at the Rugby Football Union.

"Having spent 10 days in New Zealand following the Rugby World Cup, I know full well that our international rivals are laughing at what is going on in English rugby.

"Senior figures around the world cannot believe how England have spontaneously combusted over the past few months.

"And the fine for Mike continues that trend of the past few months. Yes, something had to be done following the trip to New Zealand, but whatever his exploits were on his night out in a tourist town like Queenstown, does it qualify for a £25,000 fine?"

The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray argues the IRB need to step up after they failed to take action amid allegations of foul play in the World Cup final.

"Almost three weeks have elapsed since the World Cup final. Granted, it's not a great deal of time, even for such a progressive organisation as the International Rugby Board, to accept they messed up in the wake of the tournament conclusion.

They did have other critical issues to sort out, like shifting the election of their next chairman from Auckland to the UK then on to Los Angeles next month. Sounds like Disneyland is a perfect setting.

Most IRB functionaries seem to operate in that sort of never-never land.

Send all the councillors to Space Mountain and scare the hell out of them to make some decisions when they take their troupe to LA."

Paul Rees, writing for the Guardian, argues that Martin Johnson has lost control of the England team.

"One of the concerns some on the Rugby Football Union had about putting Martin Johnson in charge of England three years ago was not so much his lack of management and coaching experience but that he would be the boss of players who had been his colleagues on the field, head boy turned headmaster.

If his three-year tenure ends next month, two of the men who were with him in Sydney when the World Cup was won in 2003 will have helped undermine him. Johnson kept faith with the player whose drop-goal won the World Cup eight years ago, Jonny Wilkinson, even though the outside-half was a more uncomfortable fit in the side than his rival, Toby Flood, and even when his goal-kicking form deserted him. Mike Tindall's failure to apologise immediately after being caught in a clinch with a woman on a boozy night out following the opening match against Argentina meant that an issue which should have been dealt with festered."

Peter Jackson, writing for the Daily Mail, provides his take on the latest high-profile decision at the RFU.

"The disgraceful end of Mike Tindall’s distinguished England career amounts to a shamefully tacit admission of the RFU’s failure to control their own players.

"The severity of their former captain’s punishment for his nightclub antics leaves an awkward question hanging over the sorry, sleazy affair.

"Why, oh why did the England management not take pre-emptive action?"

Tony Word, writing for the Irish Independent, reflects on the career of Brian O'Driscoll and looks at where his career is likely to go after his latest injury setback.

"It's all about timing, they say, and if ever that maxim rang true it is to the news that our greatest ever player is having an operation to free up the trapped nerve that has been causing him so much discomfort in his shoulder.

Not that I would expect anything different, given the individual concerned, but what I like about Brian O'Driscoll's decision to undergo this surgery now is the way he factored in his quality of life post-rugby.

He may have wanted more from his four World Cups and he should have won the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2009, which inexplicably went to Richie McCaw, but the most celebrated -- and for me the most talented -- rugby player in our history has nothing left to prove."

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie, talking to Aaron Goile of the Dominion Post, looks at casting his net even wider as he scours the planet for new talent.

"New Zealand rugby followers will get a closer look at Argentina next year when they join the Rugby Championship, but it might not be too long before their players are involved in our domestic competitions, too, thanks in part to new Chiefs coach Dave Rennie.

The man formerly in charge of Manawatu and New Zealand Under-20 has just returned from a week in the South American country where he, with Blues coach Pat Lam and Northland coach Adrian Ferris, ran a two-day coaching course at a Buenos Aires club for more than 200 locals.

The reason for the trip was two-fold, Rennie said. Through a contact Ferris had from way back, the trio were able to go over and impart their knowledge and help grow the game, and have a look at the Argentinian setup."

In his column for The Sun, Will Carling expresses his misgivings over the fine handed to Mike Tindall.

"To me this all smacks of a witch-hunt and I think it very unfair that Mike Tindall has been made a scapegoat for all of England's off-field problems. Don't get me wrong. The behaviour of the England players left a lot to be desired.

And when you have Jonny Wilkinson feeling the need to speak to the players during the tournament, then you know you have a serious problem.

It's a professional game now and the players must know they went too far.

But what I cannot understand is why Tindall has been singled out as the scapegoat."

Australia's Quade Cooper is helped from the field after injuring his knee during the Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

Wallaby great Tim Horan believes Quade Cooper should use his injury-enforced lay-off to reflect on his disappointing World Cup performance and try to understand how to play Test rugby. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"Horan, who was part of Australia's 1991 and 1999 World Cup-winning sides, said Cooper needed to learn that Super Rugby and Test matches demand two very different styles of play.

"For Quade Cooper, I think he needs to understand how to play Test match rugby," Horan said at a Melbourne Rebels function on Thursday.

"It's totally different to Super Rugby. In Super Rugby you can make a couple of mistakes and get away with it. In Test matches you can't and in World Cups when you get to knock-out stages, sometimes you have to play boring rugby to win the match."

"Horan hopes that Cooper, who has been linked to a switch to rugby league, wouldn't be lost to the game and would get another chance for World Cup success."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reports as Connacht prepare to make their Heineken Cup debut.

"f Connacht feel any sense of due toward Leinster for their backdoor route towards their long-awaited debut in the Heineken Cup this season, they are entitled to quickly park it. Leinster and the other Irish provinces, under the IRFU umbrella, have long since owed Connacht one after decades of institutionalised bullying and maltreatment.

"Now though, after the Sword of Damacles hung over Connacht for almost a decade, under the more enlightened leadership of Tom Grace and others, the IRFU have removed the moratorium on longterm contracts and given the province and their newly-formed and progressive Professional Game Board (PGB) their full backing.

"However, for the PGB to make tangible progress in the badly-needed redevelopment of the Sportsground, Connacht needed the Heineken Cup after 16 years on the outside as the poor relations of Irish rugby. Cue the newly-built Clan Terrace. Just like that.

"Now too, the players and supporters no longer feel like the pariahs of European rugby. So it was that they reacted with such undiluted glee to meeting the ultimate European powerhouse, Toulouse, for Connacht couldn’t have asked for a more attractive fixture around which to shape their season-ticket, marketing and ground redevelopment strategies."

The Irish Independent reports as Munster prepare to launch their latest assault on the Heineken Cup.

"For the first time since the tournament began 16 years ago, Munster will run out without an Anthony Foley, Alan Quinlan or David Wallace in their team, and last season's pool exit has eroded the air of impregnability and inevitability that habitually accompanies the province's European outings in Limerick.

"Northampton fancy their chances of emptying Munster in this one, as do some bookmakers, and a low-key build-up amid talk of a tickets flying around the province seeking takers has created a certain degree of first-day uncertainty ahead of their European opener.

"Coach Tony McGahan knows exactly what is at stake. Defeat would place his side under inordinate pressure heading to Castres the following week, with qualification immediately hanging in the balance. It is a tough station.

"Defeat by Leinster last Friday did not engender confidence, but there was enough in that match to suggest that Munster are not too far off where they need to be. McGahan is well aware of the pluses and minuses going into Saturday's clash."

Former All Blacks are fuming over allegations of steroid taking in the 1990s. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Jack Ralston, who was New Zealand Rugby Union's head of sales and marketing between 1997 and 1999, made the allegation in his yet-to-be-released biography, The Sports Insider.

"People might be stunned by this but I know at least two All Blacks in the 1990s who responded to demands that they bulk up by taking steroids," he wrote.

"Ralston would not name the two players, who he said had told him in confidence, telling Fairfax Media they were "smaller guys who needed to put on muscle and bulk who were under pressure".

"He said the players may now feel they can speak publicly about taking the performance enhancing substances."

Writing in The Guardian, Shaun Edwards believes it could be Northampton's turn to get the better of Munster in the Heineken Cup.

"A tough old group, which is hard on the young Scarlets team that probably does not have enough up front. Perhaps in another year, but it's hard to look beyond Northampton, who came within 40 minutes of winning the Heineken Cup last time, and Munster, the two-times winners who have bags of pedigree. They know each other well and this time it's Northampton's turn to go away from home first up and Thomond still has that aura about it, even if Harlequins did dent Munster's pride last season. That said, this is the group where anyone can beat anyone on their day and while Castres don't often get out of the pool stages themselves, they frequently have a say in who does and, despite going off the boil a bit in the past couple of weeks, are still third in the Top 14."

The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary previews this season's Heineken Cup.

"The Heineken Cup adds colour to the canvas, intensity and vibrancy on the field of play, noise and passion around it. Given that we’ve already had the season’s climax in the Rugby World Cup, it is only right that the Heineken Cup should show that it too can hit a few sweet spots. There is a raft of new stars to follow, principally Wales's thrilling young World Cup brigade, but taking in battle-hardened warriors such as Toulouse’s Thierry Dusautoir or Biarritz’s Imanol Harinordoquy is never a task to cause regret.

"English and French clubs in particular relish participation for the simple reason there is no guarantee that they will qualify. For once, that feeling will be shared by the opposition at the Stoop this evening when Connacht, for too long seen as the country cousins of Irish rugby, take their bow in the Heineken Cup by dint of Leinster winning last season’s tournament.

"What is true for Connacht will also hold good for Harlequins. Old-stagers they might be but, burnished by ‘Bloodgate’ three seasons ago, it has taken them until now to reclaim the status lost that day. The manner of the narrow quarter-final defeat to Leinster in April 2009 triggered a period of calamity for Quins. Controversially, they were allowed to compete in the following season’s Heineken Cup. It was a pyrrhic triumph, for Harlequins lost all six pool games, slumping also in the Premiership and having to work their way back through the Amlin Challenge Cup."

Former England captain Lewis Moody has expressed further regret about his side's troubled Rugby World Cup campaign © Getty Images

England's 2011 World Cup captain Lewis Moody will miss Test rugby but still has plenty on his mind after such a limp finale. The Guardian's Rob Kitson reports.

"So what did happen when England stumbled into the "Mad Midget Weekender", which spawned a million headlines? Moody has already expressed regret that others did not call it a night as relatively early as he did. "If I had stayed out I'd have been able to put an arm round them and take them back. That would be my biggest regret. But when I left the bar there were only a couple of guys in there. The other fellas weren't out. As much as I'd like to know everyone's movements, it's not possible."

"Nor, unlike some, does Moody seek to blame the media as agents provocateurs. "Absolutely it's the players' fault. The media have a job to do … as players you have to hold your hands up and take responsibility for your actions, simple as that. We spoke about that at length and we spoke about the media, about being in New Zealand and the rugby cauldron that it is. I think that's what is even more disappointing: that we allowed it to happen. It did taint the rugby. Whether we'd have gone beyond the quarter-final or not, it certainly tainted the experience." Meeting the French players in the lift as he checked out of his hotel the morning after England's quarter-final defeat scarcely helped."

Rugby is in danger of muscling out the flair and skills that have made it such a great game, according to Hugo Porta. Reuters talk to Argentina's leading points scorer and former captain.

"We can't stop the evolution of the game, but we should at least try to preserve the essence of rugby. Nowadays it's a war of muscles. What is this?," he said ruefully, an imaginary ball tucked under his arm as he imitated the barging tactics of the modern game. I saw more blood and injured players during the World Cup than ever before."

"...Porta's passion for the game is such that he laments the hulking physical stature of the modern player. "Rugby's turning into a sport where the physical aspect prevails over talent," he said. "These days there's no room for talent. I lived another kind of rugby.

"In Argentina we have always had an affinity with the French, they produce players with flair like we have done. Nowadays, take [France centre] Aurelien Rougerie for example, put a black top on him then put him on the pitch and he would think he's an All Black."

The Irish Independent previews the eagerly-anticipated Heineken Cup clash between Munster and Northampton.

"It's the tie-breaker. Munster and Northampton have met four times in the Heineken Cup and have two wins apiece in a well-contested rivalry that sees Munster just 12 points ahead on aggregate (80-68).

"It adds an extra spice to Saturday's Pool One encounter at Thomond Park (the venue for both of Munster's wins in this fixture) -- and it is not as if this particular rivalry is short on flavour.

"Their previous meetings have been sparky affairs, dating back to the final in 2000, when Munster felt Mick Galwey was unfairly sin-binned, through to their next encounter in Franklin's Gardens nine years later, when the visitors felt referee Christophe Berdos should have brandished yellow for persistent Saints infringement.

"The return clash at Thomond was another fractious affair, as was the quarter-final at the same venue, when Northampton unwisely talked themselves up in the build-up, predictably provoking a furious Munster response when the contest began."

Wallabies coaching contender Ewen McKenzie doesn't covet Robbie Deans' Test post but there are no fears Queensland's Super Rugby-winning mentor will jump ship overseas. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"McKenzie and Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) chief executive Jim Carmichael today both stressed he wouldn't be leaving Ballymore anytime soon.

"Post-World Cup speculation has had the Reds coach in line to work as an assistant or consultant to Deans to boost Australia's coaching team, or be picked off by a foreign rival.

"Story continues below But McKenzie denied he was interested in either prospect and conceded his QRU contract, which expires at the end of 2013 at the same time as Deans', had no escape clause to become a Test mentor overseas."

One of the central attractions of the Rugby World Cup is for sale, though its buyer will need a large backyard and a lot of money to spend. Isaac Davison reports for the New Zealand Herald.

"The 100 per cent Pure New Zealand giant rugby ball has been retired by Tourism New Zealand and is being sold by public tender with the tagline: "Your Opportunity to own a New Zealand Icon."

"TNZ said it wanted the best price possible for the ball, and that the market would decide how much it was worth.

"The inflatable ball has been at the heart of the tourism group's advertising campaigns, and its placement at the feet of the Eiffel Tower in 2007 was considered a massive coup. It was launched at the Rugby World Cup in France, and has since had about 175,000 visitors, including the Queen."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Brian Moore believes the sides that manage to shrug off the excesses of the World Cup will spearhead the challenge for the Heineken Cup.

"Whatever disappointments came from northern hemisphere sides in the World Cup, fans can find succour in the world’s best club rugby competition. While excitement is guaranteed; who will shine is altogether less certain.

"Irrespective of when they exited or how well or poorly they played, those players who went to the World Cup will vary in their performances in the Heineken Cup.

"It will not be lack of effort or application, but they were so focused on the World Cup that it is almost impossible for them to simply switch into club mode. Whichever sides’ stars find their form first will go a long way to deciding the crucial first few pool games. This is significant because as only one team per pool is guaranteed to progress, a bad start could be irredeemable.

"For example, will the French internationals be buoyed by knowing they pushed the world champions right to the edge or will they carry residual disaffection from knowing they could, possibly should, have won on that day?"

The Daily Telegraph's Steve James talks to Wales and Scarlets fly-half Rhys Priestland.

"For a long time the fly-half debate raged in Wales. The pragmatism of Stephen Jones or the flair of James Hook? Nobody could really decide. Nicky Robinson was in selectorial purdah over the border, and it was hoped the Ospreys’ Dan Biggar might provide the long-term solution.

"All the while, down at the Scarlets, due to the presence of Jones, a young chap called Rhys Priestland, a fly-half by inclination, was playing mainly at full-back. Playing pretty well, as it happened; so well that he was selected there for Wales's international against England at Twickenham in August.

"Six minutes before kick-off Jones pulled a calf muscle. “I was on the way in from the warm-up,” says Priestland, “and they say I could be playing at 10. The next thing I am playing at 10. It was a surreal few minutes.”

Nick Mallett could be in line for a job with the RFU © Getty Images

The Guardian's Rob Kitson provides his take on what the RFU should do next as they try and bring rugby's biggest prize back to England's shores in 2015.

"The faint whirring sound you can hear is the sound of mental cogs turning across English rugby. Not before time, many would say. History may even classify the national team's head-clutching World Cup campaign as a blessing in disguise. Surely we now have a consensus: things cannot go on like this. The Rugby Football Union is hosting the 2015 World Cup, the best opportunity for a generation or two to promote the game in these parts. Getting it wrong is not an option.

So what should the RFU do next? While we await the outcomes of umpteen reviews – strangely, no one has rung me yet – here are a few immediate suggestions. Picking through the entrails of 2011 is all well and good but the time has come for some fresh thinking ..."

Richard Knowler, writing for the Dominion Post, reflects on the Crusaders' return back to Christchurch.

"Now Richie McCaw can enter his summer vacation in an even more peaceful state.

Although McCaw's mood will have been inflated by winning the World Cup last month Todd Blackadder still detected a touch of anxiety in the All Blacks captain's voice when he recently queried whether the Crusaders would have a home ground next year.

Crusaders coach Blackadder had wanted to know the state of his skipper's injured right foot. In return, McCaw was eager for an update of his own.

"It was one of the first things Richie McCaw asked me last week," Blackadder said yesterday after it was confirmed the Crusaders will play at Addington's Rugby League Park next season.

"It is very significant that our players know where their home ground is going to be. Home ground advantage, if anything, is just psychological but is just so important. What this means now is certainty."

Luke Benedict, of the Daily Mail, looks at Jonny Wilkinson's latest revelations from his new autobiography.

"Jonny Wilkinson has revealed that his infamous fear of failure and obsession with perfection made him so depressed he harmed himself.

The England fly-half was so distressed by a seemingly endless succession of injuries that he was driven to biting his own hand, screaming under water, sleep-deprivation and ripping up his clothes.

The 32-year-old documents his decline into dark obsession in his new autobiography, Jonny.

It began in the summer of 2002 when he agreed with Clive Woodward, then the England coach, to miss the tour to Argentina and rest after five years of summer touring."

Graham Henry looks a prime candidate for a knighthood after their World Cup success © Getty Images

Duncan Johnstone, of the Dominion Post, believes Graham Henry should be knighted but the honouring of Richie McCaw should wait.

"It's too early to be thinking about knighting Richie McCaw - give the gong to Graham Henry instead.

We wait to see if Prime Minister John Key was speaking in jest when he said McCaw would be Sir Richie if the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup. But there have already been suggestions that move is in the pipeline for the New Year honours list.

At the age of 30 and with a new four-year contract set to begin, it seems awkward to knight him while he's still running around with sprigs on.

I reckon McCaw might think the same way."

Jonny Wilkinson, in the Daily Telegraph, speaks out about England's disastrous World Cup campaign.

"Throughout their time in New Zealand England's players courted the wrong sort of headlines, most notably when Mike Tindall led a group of players late night drinking at a club where dwarf throwing formed the centrepiece to the night's entertainment.

Wilkinson, a self confessed obsessive professional, was not part of the group, indeed, he says the last time he went out drinking following an England match was at the end of the previous World Cup.

While unwilling to condemn players for having a well earned drink during a long tour, and conscious that he inhabits in another extreme that is not to be prescribed to everyone, Wilkinson believes the consequences were inevitable."

Former New Zealand international Matthew Cooper has leant his backing to Jonny Wilkinson in the New Zealand Herald as the debate over the match balls used in the World Cup rages on.

"Former All Black Matthew Cooper has backed Jonny Wilkinson's criticism of the balls used at the recent World Cup, saying he also noticed problems with them during the tournament.

England first-five Wilkinson has slated the Gilbert balls as a "joke" and said the organisers of the tournament were "horribly unprofessional" for providing them.

He kicked only 50 per cent of his goals at the World Cup, the worst ratio of his career, and had some embarrassing misses at Dunedin's new enclosed and windless stadium."

Wales lock Bradley Davies, talking to Gareth Griffiths of the Western Mail, talks of his hope that their strong performance in the World Cup is the start of a Welsh legacy.

"If revenge is a dish best served cold, then Welsh rugby has forgotten to knock the oven off.

Just 36 days after losing the bronze medal match to Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Warren Gatland’s men get an instant chance to take the Wallabies’ scalp at the Millennium Stadium. It’s the ideal feast for a rugby-hungry Welsh public desperate to salute their World Cup heroes.

But to Blues lock forward Bradley Davies the December 3 date in Cardiff is as much about the future as the past, no matter how well Wales played in finishing fourth in New Zealand.

“We worked extremely hard during the World Cup and were proud of what we achieved,” said Davies.

“Hopefully it was a stepping stone for future success."

Martin Gillingham, writing for the Independent, looks at whether the French league has as much flair as they'd like the rest of the world to believe...

"Were you to offer me a ticket and trip to the Ernest Wallon I’d bite your hand off. Do the same for Welford Road then I might have to think a little longer before accepting. For starters, the prospect of post-match dinner at a brasserie in the corner of Toulouse’s Place du Capitole is rather more appealing than a kebab in the shadow of HM Prison, Leicester. It’s also a general assumption that 80 minutes of Rouge et Noir is likely to be more entertaining than the traditional fare of biff, bash, bosh dished out across from the local nick by the Tigers.

Indulging in stereotypes, though, can be dangerous."

Wales supporters will hope Warren Gatland remains at the helm © Getty Images

Warren Gatland, talking to Delme Parfitt of Western Mail, reflects on the World Cup and his future plans for Wales.

"If Warren Gatland had taken the chance to put a bit of pressure on Shaun Edwards to commit to another four years as Wales defence coach then, on the evidence of the World Cup, you could hardly have blamed him.

But the New Zealander’s working relationship with the former rugby league great runs much deeper than that.

Edwards has yet to make up his mind whether to help one of his closest confidantes in the game craft a Welsh side capable of ruling the world at the next global showpiece in 2015.

But, in an admission of jolting selflessness, Gatland says he would rather see Edwards work with England if it better suits his professional and personal circumstances."

Taine Randall of the Dominion Post looks at where next for the All Blacks after their World Cup win.

"The big question mark hanging over the world champion All Blacks is succession – where do things go from here?

The World Cup winners have joined the ranks of New Zealand's iconic rugby teams. They will be mentioned in the same breath as their 1987 cup-winning counterparts and great sides like the 1924 Invincibles and the 1956 and 1996 Bok Busters.

Graham Henry's squad confirmed that status by carrying out a pressure-cooker assignment to break a 24-year bogey, sealing their greatness by holding on in a cliff-hanger final.

The first major transitional change has happened, with Henry sensibly deciding to bow out a winner and retiring at the very peak of performance. Assistant coach Wayne Smith goes with him, ending a long and successful association with the side."

The Australian's Bret Harris is looking for the forthcoming tour of Britain to answer some age old questions about Australia's rugby mentality.

"The Wallabies' upcoming two-game tour of Britain could be easily dismissed as a mere footnote in the history of Australian rugby.

The matches against the Barbarians and Wales have been tagged at the end of a World Cup campaign, partly to raise revenue following the Wallabies' shortened domestic international program this year.

But this tour is much more relevant than that, which is reflected in the composition of the 26-man touring party that will be announced today.

A number of Wallabies have been ruled out of the tour because of injuries, including Rocky Elsom, Quade Cooper, Wycliff Palu, Drew Mitchell, Pat McCabe and Sekope Kepu."

The New Zealand Herald's Andrew Alderson calls on Jarrod Hoeata to step into the void left by Brad Thorn in the All Blacks' second-row.

"Now that Brad Thorn has set off to Japan, closing his All Black career, one of the key questions for next season is whether the new All Black regime will want a Thorn-style enforcer or another lineout ball winner at lock.

At 27, Jarrad Hoeata shapes as a starting XV successor to Thorn if the former role is required. He is an uncompromising, direct individual who can add vigour to a pack potentially still including Jerome Kaino, Owen and Ben Franks, Kieran Read, Victor Vito and Sam Whitelock at the next World Cup."

Rob Wildman, of the Daily Mail, suggests that under fire Gloucester centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu may hang up his boots.

"Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu may quit rugby if he receives a six-month ban for his Twitter rant against Saracens' Owen Farrell.

The Gloucester centre, 31, fears the 24-19 win at Exeter might be his last match if a disciplinary hearing imposes a six-month suspended sentence from the World Cup for abusing Welsh referee Nigel Owens.

His contract is up next May and he said: 'If I get the ban it would only be fair that the remainder of my contract gets terminated. It would be disappointing but that's life.

'That might be it for me.'"

Lewis Moody partied hard during the 1998/9 Tour of the southern hemisphere © Getty Images

"I had been in the bar after the match for quite a while when some of the England players hobbled in after their 64-22 defeat.

"Can you imagine what they thought when they saw the sight ahead of them?

"There was a stage in the bar and I was prancing around on it in the throes of performing the Full Monty in front of an audience baying for flesh.

"As each item was removed - my England tie, my England shirt and so on - I'd throw it into the crowd until I was left standing in just my boxers.

"England had just been humiliated for the second successive Test match, and an hour or so afterwards, the battered players were subjected to the sight of one of their colleagues making a drunken idiot of himself.

"At the time, I was living the dream. Now I realise I was a moron. Just thinking about it makes me cringe."

With the street parties only just dispersing following the All Blacks World Cup triumph, Paul Lewis is already looking ahead to the class of 2015 in the New Zealand Herald.

MIDFIELD

Perhaps the most competitive area when one looks at the firm hold Nonu and Smith have had on the All Black midfield for years.

Robbie Fruean (Canterbury) Still only 23, was told by Graham Henry he had to increase his work rate to get into the All Blacks. If he does that, watch out - he is 1.9m and 105kg of brute and can punch large holes in defences.

Charlie Ngatai (Wellington) Another big man, this Wellington starlet had a reverse last year with injuries to a broken ankle and eye socket and missed much of the year. Only 21, he has time on his side but has already been paired with Fruean (when the latter played for Wellington) in a massive midfield.

Tom Taylor (Canterbury) Son of 1987 World Cup winner Warwick, he displays a similar cool head, awareness of space and distribution skills, plus the knack of making correct decisions. In the Crusaders' squad this season but will battle for game time with Fruean and Ryan Crotty. Can play 10 and is a reliable goalkicker, notching 20 points on his ITM Cup debut.

In the Observer, Kevin Mitchell talks to Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll about life after rugby.

Brian O'Driscoll is terrified. Not of physical pain or even losing. He's petrified of what is to come: the unknown, life after rugby, an existence beyond the one that has made him the ultimate centre of attention.

"When you've done something for more than a third of your life," he says, "your whole adult life, and then all of a sudden you're going to have to switch off and say, no more, you want to grasp as much of it and enjoy the last few years of it as much as you can. Because you can't get those years back."

In his weekly column in the Independent on Sunday Bath prop David Flatman takes exception to the growing trend of front-row forwards celebrating and boasting at scrum-time.

"You see, as a front-row forward, one is only ever one scrummage away from being physically and publicly humbled; this is why none should ever celebrate too aggressively a powerful surge or favourable decision from a referee. Put simply, gob off too much and all you do is pump motivational fuel into the veins of the man on the other side, making yourself look less of a gentleman all the while.

"No, a dominant scrummage or awarded penalty should be met with as little facial expression as possible, as much through sporting respect as through the desire not to damage your own reputation.

"How many times have we seen a prop win a decision and mark the occasion with a self-promoting shriek, maybe a fist pump and, if things have really gone south, a patronising head-tap for his opposite number? And how many times have we seen the same man have his head inserted into his backside minutes later? I watch this stuff closely, and it happens an awful lot."

Martyn Thomas was forced to step down as chairman of the RFU earlier in the year © Getty Images

Gavin Mairs, writing in the Telegraph, suggests the Rugby Football Union is set for a dramatic overhaul that will see significant changes to the way in which rugby is governed in England.

"It is understood that the sweeping changes are to be proposed when the review of the RFU’s corporate governance structures and practices, undertaken by law firm Slaughter and May, is put to the council meeting at Twickenham on Dec 2.

"The review, which has been headed up by Nigel Boardman, a partner at the firm, and was set up in response to one of the recommendations in the Blackett report, is also expected to recommend that the chairman’s term be limited to four years, replacing the open-ended process with two periods of two years.

"The move is designed to prevent a repeat of the scenario that saw former chairman Martyn Thomas hold the position for six years before he was forced to resign after criticism of his behaviour in the Blackett report into the sacking of John Steele as chief executive."

In the Irish Independent Tony Ward argues that Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll should move to inside centre and give up the captaincy in order to prolong his Test career.

I sincerely believe the time is now right for him to move to inside-centre. It would make for a different playmaking role, but one to which he would be ideally suited at this stage of his career. And what better challenge than helping his outside-channel apprentice learn the ropes alongside the master in the midst of the action?

Think of the benefit to Fergus McFadden, Eoin O'Malley, Nevin Spence, Luke Fitzgerald, Eoin Griffin, Keith Earls or whoever it is to be. Imagine the focus O'Driscoll at inside-centre would demand, thereby creating time and space for the trainee alongside.

There is also the captaincy issue, and here again I would urge that a mature approach should be taken.

The role of captain in the professional age is not as demanding as it once was, but in saying that if passing on the armband lightens the on-field load for O'Driscoll, then it is a decision well worth considering.

As the southern hemisphere contemplates a four-month break from rugby, Wynne Gray cannot resist looking ahead to next season's schedule in the New Zealand Herald

Just as we are being encouraged to reach a peak of spectator enthusiasm we will be parked on the sidelines. Most of us who follow rugby still have a warm glow about that Sunday night a few weeks ago, and 8-7 still looks and sounds pretty good, especially to those who suffered in Cardiff four years ago.

Then you take a deep breath and see what the oval-ball game offers after we all get a rest from rugby for four months.

We get an elongated Super 15 series which pauses in early June while the All Blacks play three tests against Ireland.

Then the Super 15 has three more rounds before the finals series.

Ireland showed strong qualities in the World Cup and if they repeat that, after a long season in Europe, they will give the new All Black squad a tickle-up.

The problem is series interruptus. It has always been a dangerous habit. Now Sanzar is promoting the concept.

Wasps' try-scoring sensation Christian Wade talks to Simon Turnbull in the Independent

"Guys like Shane Williams, Jason Robinson and Dave Lemi are all pretty small players and they're big names in rugby," Wade says. "Whatever size or weight you are, I don't think it matters as long as you use your strengths and get the job done."

Dai Young, Wasps' director of rugby, said much the same thing last week when he was asked about his 5ft 8in, 13st 8lb No 11. "Christian is not going to run over many people, is he?" the former Wales prop acknowledged. "But he can beat people, and it doesn't matter how you do that."

Wade insists: "I don't see my size as an issue. I never have. People have brought it up at times. When I was younger I think I didn't get picked sometimes because of it. I just focus on bettering myself, bettering my skills, and it's definitely working for me.

"Everyone's got their own way of getting over the gain-line. For me, it won't be running over players, obviously. That's not my game. For me, it'll be putting some footwork on or stepping or using my speed. Either way, I'm getting over the gain-line, so I don't see any reason to bring up my size or weight."

Former England coach Brian Ashton highlights the importance of the mental side of the game as he contrasts England's flawed World Cup campaign to that of the ultimately victorious All Blacks, in the Independent

"I have resisted commenting on England's efforts – on and off the field – and have no desire to go into detail already covered elsewhere. Suffice to say that they did not endear themselves to many people.

"World Cup captain Lewis Moody has flown the nest and made some interestingly strange comments regarding the behaviour of some of his squad-mates. Many of the remainder of the elite club/international game appear to be in a state of denial, self-preservation and hopeful re-ingratiation – all characteristics of the self-serving ruling classes.

"Post World Cup final interviews with head coach Graham Henry and captain Richie McCaw revealed the mindset the All Blacks have been developing to ensure they were in a position to deal with adversity in a positive manner."

Allan Massie predicts a tough future for Scottish rugby and suggests the national team could drop out of the top 20 in the world in the next 20 years in the Scotsman

"This brief interval between the World Cup and the Heineken and then the Six Nations is a good moment to take stock.

"The World Cup and the IRB’s Sevens circuit are helping to spread the game.

"This is doubtless a good thing, though not necessarily for everyone. Here in Scotland we already have to run very hard merely to stay where we are. In future we are going to have to run harder not to fall well behind. It’s very likely that we shall not be able to hold on to a top-ten world ranking. We may not fall as far behind as we have in football, but 20 years on we may struggle to be in the top-20 rugby-playing nations. This will certainly be the case if we do not get more state schools playing rugby seriously and if we do not expand and improve the professional game here. Where that is concerned we have wasted 15 years. Time is certainly not on our side."

Peter de Villiers insists he has some unfinished business with the Springboks © Getty Images

Peter de Villiers has declared his intention to re-apply to be Springboks coach after it appeared his tenure had come to an end. Supersport's Gavin Rich reports.

"...But after four years of growing into the job, De Villiers believes he has the credentials to continue if the South African Rugby Union want him to, and the manner of the Bok exit from the World Cup has made him keen to do so.

“Not winning the World Cup makes me feel like there is unfinished business, that the story isn’t finished. So if they call for applications for the Springbok job I will definitely apply for it. Why not? I have enjoyed doing the job and it was a privilege for me to serve my country. If I apply and my application is not accepted that is fine, I will accept what is good for South African rugby and move on. The next coach will have my full support.”

"De Villiers’s desire to continue has been heightened by the bizarre manner of his team’s exit from the World Cup, with the Boks dominating the game and referee Bryce Lawrence later being widely condemned by the world rugby media for the way he handled it.

"“I don’t want to make excuses. We got knocked out and as I said when we got back from overseas, a quarterfinal defeat wasn’t good enough and we failed the nation. But what was so frustrating was that we appeared to be peaking at the right time, and there was still room for further growth. I feel the story has been left unfinished,” he said."

After the announcement of next year's squads for the Super Rugby, the New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the Kiwi sides.

"Blues - The inclusion of internationals Piri Weepu, Ma'a Nonu and Rudi Wulf boosts the back division which looks to be heavy on talent out wide but leaner on the directors.

"...Chiefs - New coach Dave Rennie seems able to conjure up performances from less-fancied groups so he should be a strong fit for his first year at this level, with a side that finished last in the NZ pool.

"...Hurricanes - Take a deep breath Hurricanes followers and pray that Mark Hammett can find some magic bullets amongst his squad.

"Crusaders - They can put out an entirely All Black pack and a backline only without test players at second, centre and wing. It is hard to argue against that spread of talent and a squad which will have a home ground to service after the earthquake dramas of last season.

"...Highlanders - If there was a feelgood story in 2011, it was the Highlanders who finished third out of the New Zealand sides under new leader Jamie Joseph. They kicked out of the gates hard and fast, beating the Hurricanes, Chiefs and then the Bulls away."

The rugby career of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw will be prolonged by going under the surgeon's knife later this month according to Kurt Bayer in the New Zealand Herald.

"Team management announced today that the Rugby World Cup-winning skipper will have a screw removed from his injured right foot in an operation in Christchurch.

"All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said surgery would mean the inspirational leader would be able to continue his career at the top level. "The best option for him is to have surgery to have the screw removed, he will also have some bone grafting done and then his foot will be left alone to heal.''

Dr Robinson would not put a time-frame on his return to competitive rugby, saying: "It's a long time away and to put a date on it is silly - you can only get it wrong. But most fractures take six weeks to heal. Following the surgery, Richie will be in plaster for two weeks and then a moonboot for a month. After around 10 to 12 weeks he will be able to start running and then will gradually return to rugby training."

Writing in The Guardian, Shaun Edwards believes that some countries gamble unecessarily on new coaching blood.

"Over four seasons you build up partnerships with your fellow coaches as well as the players and Wales were a pretty close unit going off to the World Cup and probably a lot better as coaches when we returned. As a club coach you do learn as you go, but the big infusions in my knowledge have come with the Lions in South Africa two years ago and working with Wales in New Zealand during the World Cup.

"I'd like to think that given the chance, I'd learn a lot more but that doesn't mean I'm angling for anyone's job or negotiating in public. I just think Henry is correct when he says that too many coaches will be losing their jobs because of the result rather than their ability and that some countries gamble unnecessarily on fresh blood when continued learning might be a better course.

"Henry was talking about Martin Johnson, but I'm sure the likes of Declan Kidney, Andy Robinson and Warren Gatland will be better coaches for their southern hemisphere experiences this time around.

"Whereas I'm not sure about the likes of Italy, for example, who seem to be throwing away the collected wisdom of Nick Mallett, rather than asking themselves whether their team came up to expectation or whether Italian rugby would continue to improve under the same management."

The Guardian's Paul Rees reports on the Rugby Football Union's plans to get their house in order.

"Martin Johnson's future as England's team manager will be decided at the beginning of next month when the Rugby Football Union's council considers a recommendation from the professional game board.

"The decision of the RFU's board of directors on Wednesday to abort the inquiry headed by Fran Cotton into England's World Cup campaign frees the union's operations director, Rob Andrew, a member of the game board, to finish his review of a campaign that became bogged down by various off-field incidents involving players.

"Before reporting to the council on 2 December, Andrew will discuss his findings with his fellow game board members: Ian Metcalfe, the chairman who is on the RFU board; Damien Hopley, the chief executive of the Rugby Players Association; Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of Premiership Rugby; and Jason Leonard, England's most capped international."

Fran Cotton has hit back at claims his independent review into England’s World Cup failure would have been tainted by critical comments he made about the team’s performances and their behaviour off the field.The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary reports.

"Former Lions prop Cotton was asked by the Rugby Football Union’s acting chief executive Martyn Thomas to conduct a review of the World Cup campaign and the elite structure in general. But that review was shelved at an RFU board meeting on Wednesday, when Thomas was removed from all roles with the governing body. Rob Andrew, the RFU’s operations director, is understood to have spoken out against Cotton’s proposed review during the board meeting.

"He argued that Cotton should not have given an interview to Telegraph Sport shortly after his appointment, in which he described England centre Mike Tindall’s behaviour at the Rugby World Cup as “indefensible” and declared himself a “massive fan” of former coach Clive Woodward.

"But Cotton is furious at any suggestion his review would not have been objective and fair. “I take exception to anyone thinking I wouldn’t have been independent,” Cotton said. “That would be to question my integrity. I’m known as a fair-minded bloke. I did make some comments before the review came together and those comments are still valid."

Stormers boss Allister Coetzee is favourite to take charge of the Springboks © Getty Images

Iol.co.za's Ashfak Mohamed reports on the battle to be the new Springboks coach.

"Despite John Mitchell’s success with the Lions in the Currie Cup, Rassie Erasmus and Allister Coetzee are the favourites to run Springbok rugby from next year.

"A source in the top echelons of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) has said that Western Province and Stormers coach Coetzee is regarded as the “No 1 choice” to replace Peter de Villiers as Bok coach, with Erasmus earmarked for a new post of Saru director of rugby.

"It is understood that all national team coaches will report to Erasmus, although it is unclear exactly what the director’s role and jurisdiction will be.

"At this moment, Allister is still the No 1 choice to be the Springbok coach,” the source said."

Crusaders boss and former New Zealand captain Todd Blackadder wants to coach the All Blacks – but not just yet. Richard Knowler reports for The Press.

"Blackadder has dismissed speculation he will apply for the vacant All Blacks head coach's job after Graham Henry yesterday stood down.

"Despite taking over from Robbie Deans as Crusaders coach in 2009 and taking the side to this year's final against the Queensland Reds after making the semis in the previous two seasons he still believes he needs to prove himself as a Super Rugby coach.

"I'm keen to do it one day ... but the time is probably not quite right at the moment. I think I'm still learning a bit."

"Following the All Blacks' World Cup win it is expected Henry's assistant Steve Hansen, who has confirmed he wants Henry's spot, will be the New Zealand Rugby Union's choice. Henry's other assistant, Wayne Smith, has already confirmed he will join Dave Rennie and Tom Coventry at the Chiefs."

The New Zealand Herald's Patrick McKendry is less than impressed by the announcement of the five New Zealand Super Rugby franchise squads.

"It's Guy Fawkes night on Saturday and emergency services around the country will be ecstatic if the traditionally explosive affair passes with the sort of whimper that today's announcement of the five New Zealand Super Rugby franchise squads represented. As damp squibs go, this one couldn't light a match.

"...An NZRU media release was sent at 1.15pm today confirming the make-up of the five squads. Until that time media organisations had to contact each franchise in a bid to have the squad lists sent through. In the age of the internet and instant news, this isn't good enough.

"Super Rugby? Let's hope so. A super start? Definitely not."

Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore does not hold back in the wake Martyn Thomas' exit from the Rugby Football Union.

"They probably think they are now safe, having offered up a sacrifice and securing Thomas’s removal as acting CEO from Dec 16 and also from his proposed chairmanship of England 2015, the company that is to oversee the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

"They should not be safe because they only removed him due to pressure from the media and the special general meeting threatened by disaffected clubs.

"Only days ago the RFU president, Willie Wildash, and acting chairman Paul Murphy, were dismissing criticism of the arrangements and urging us all to move forward and concentrate on rugby and the record profits they wanted to highlight.

"Why has it taken these dramatic steps to produce action and how can English rugby settle for the continued management of a board that created this mess and did not rectify it until impelled? Whatever they may say to the contrary, they cannot honestly claim that they would have taken these steps of their own accord."

The future of acting RFU chief executive Martyn Thomas could be decided at Twickenham on Wednesday © Getty Images

The Rugby Football Union’s management board will convene at Twickenham on Wednesday, when the departure of former chairman and current acting chief executive Martyn Thomas will be at the top of the agenda. Sam Peters reports for the Daily Telegraph.

"Thomas’s future remains in sharpest focus, and it appeared on Tuesday night that he has buckled to pressure from 130 clubs, who last week sent a letter to RFU chairman Paul Murphy threatening to call a special general meeting on Thursday if the 67 year-old does not step down immediately.

"RFU insiders told Telegraph Sport, "Martyn’s departure is now inevitable", although he retains some support including from former England captain and co-opted board member Bill Beaumont.

"Last night a group of directors opposed to Thomas, thought to include Metcalfe, Peter Baines, Jonathan Dance and Rob Briers, met at a London location to discuss their stance at today’s meeting.

"If Thomas’s departure date is confirmed today, it would also put Fran Cotton’s World Cup review in serious doubt, with the Professional Game Board, Premier Rugby and a number of England’s management and players opposed to its existence."

Former Edinburgh Rugby owner Bob Carruthers has written to the SRU offering to pull together entrepreneurs who could take over the running of Scotland’s professional teams. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The 50-year-old Scot who made his money in the entertainment industry, was forced out of the Scottish game in 2007, only a year after taking over the Edinburgh team with his consortium. Edinburgh crowds rose and supporters praised a far better customer experience under Carruthers than was the case with the SRU, but his ownership became embroiled in court actions as he fought the union and chief executive Gordon McKie over funding and latterly refused to allow players to take part in Scotland squad sessions.

"McKie, who quit the SRU in May, wrested back control of the team but Carruthers still believes he is owed substantial amounts of money and that the SRU cannot use the name Edinburgh after he sold it to an SRU subsidiary company, Murrayfield Experience Ltd.

"In total, Carruthers believes he invested, or lost, over £1m in the venture but insists he is prepared to do the same again. The obvious question is: Why?

“Because Scottish rugby still needs entrepreneurs to take the professional teams off the SRU’s hands,” he said."

WalesOnline's Robin Turner chats to the All Blacks' performance analyst Alistair Rogers.

" To Kiwis, Rogers is the “fourth man” – an ever-present, largely unrecognised figure in the coaching box alongside the more identifiable faces of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith. But behind the studious exterior lies an incisive analytical insight that played a crucial role in helping the World Cup hosts end their 24-year-long World Cup drought.

"A one-time flanker for Aberavon, Neath and Ebbw Vale – where the former Dyffryn Comprehensive School pupil played under future Wales coach Mike Ruddock – the 36-year-old combined his sporting expertise with his background as an IT expert to work his way back into the game.

"...But does he still feel a yearning to be involved in the resurgent Welsh set-up? “I’m not sure nationality comes into it, I’m extremely proud and privileged to be part of the All Blacks. I followed the All Blacks as a youngster and to be part of the All Black family is something very special.

“It’s a team with a wonderful culture and history and this group of players and management have worked extremely hard over the past four years (eight for some). Winning the World Cup is still sinking in."

The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Grey looks at the next move for departing All Blacks head coach Graham Henry.

"His immediate plans revolved around family, friends and fishing as he assesses the next stage of his working life. There will not be a fullstop, his rugby choices were many, open and varied.

"When he gets back into business, Henry is keen on mentoring coaches in New Zealand, acting as a consultant, working on his rugby coaching website and dealing with an import-export business in China.

"He looked weary, as he should, after the procession of partying which followed the All Blacks' 8-7 victory against France to claim the World Cup. Henry knew it was time to call it quits.

"That moment came a week ago when the squad reached Wellington on their nationwide celebrations. Sometime during the evening at an informal meeting in the hotel which lasted several hours, Henry made a "little speech and told them I loved them and was moving on".

Writing for the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley reports from the latest launch for this season's Heineken Cup.

"The Heineken Cup has a low, if improving profile, in the Southern Hemisphere, and on foot of French sides moving matches beyond their country’s boundaries on the continent, McGrath cites Saracens’ decision to host Biarritz in round five next January in Cape Town.

“It’s their initiative but we’re thrilled with it,” admitted McGrath. “The Heineken Cup doesn’t have the penetration it could have but its awareness is building. And what’s important is that less is more, so that when we expose it we want it to be something of value.”

“When we looked at going to South Africa, we wanted it to be a good quality product and we took the view that commercially it makes a load of sense. At that time, that match would be shown live in South Africa anyway, so why not take the product there? But way beyond that, and the commercial interests of ourselves and Saracens, we had discussions with the FFR (French), the RFU, with the South African rugby union and with the IRB, with the clubs themselves.”

This landmark fixture will expose the tournament beyond live television and, given the smaller time differences, South Africa is the most fruitful market for the ERC in the southern hemisphere."

England captain Lewis Moody lost control of his troops in New Zealand © Getty Images

Writing in The Guardian, Richard Williams believes that Martin Johnson must have known a captain apt to run dick-of-the-day competitions was unlikely to be a calming influence.

"Cancel the inquiries, all three of them. Tell Rob Andrew to go back to whatever it is he does with the rest of his time, instruct the Professional Game Board to get on with something useful and stuff Fran Cotton's questionnaires into the shredder, because it no longer matters that most of the players concerned refuse to fill them in.

"England's captain has just provided all the answers anyone could require to questions about the performance of the team in New Zealand and, by extension, the governance of the Rugby Football Union, a body surely without a rival for the always hotly contested title of the most dysfunctional in sport.

"On Wednesday the RFU's directors meet at Twickenham to consider the future of their acting chief executive, Martyn Thomas. They have been warned that if they do not remove him a special meeting of their 60‑strong council will be convened to consider a vote of no confidence - hardly a novelty where Twickers is concerned, since the board survived an earlier no‑confidence vote as recently as July, when Thomas stood down as chairman.

"The Rugby World Cup shenanigans have only made matters worse, as the words of Lewis Moody, extracted from his forthcoming autobiography and published at the weekend in the Mail on Sunday, make plain."

Hugh Farrelly of the Irish Independent reveals that with Munster blood in his veins, Peter O'Mahony is determined to carve his own name amongst the province's greats.

"For Peter O'Mahony, it started in the crib.

"'From day one, it was always rugby with Peter,' recalls aunt and godmother Fidelma O'Mahony. 'There was always a rugby ball in the cot with him and he was wearing jerseys as a baby and all the way up, either Cork Con or Munster. He was going to games since he was a toddler and playing for those teams was all he ever wanted - it's brilliant to see how far he has come.'

"That journey has been made over a relatively short period of time and included a stand-out showing in Munster's win over Australia a year ago and being appointed the province's youngest captain last month - just as he was turning 22.

"It has been a story of continual progress to this point from underage rugby with Cork Con (where his father, John, played and is now PRO) to a Schools Cup title in PBC Cork, to senior AIL glory back at Temple Hill, to Munster - with representative honours all the way up.

"As the captaincy demonstrated, O'Mahony now has front-line status in Munster, working alongside players he once used to pester for socks and autographs."

By enforcing the present laws and trying out some new ones, the game's governing body can help avoid some of the negative tactics that were prevalent at the recent World Cup, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"World Cups are landmarks. They are supposed to showcase the sport. By rights, they should constitute a four-yearly peak, showing off all that’s best about the game. And while the great global gathering just gone undoubtedly showcased New Zealand in all its glory, it cannot be said to have glorified rugby.

"The All Blacks and Wales were good to watch in the 2011 World Cup, and if you were absorbed by their progress, or indeed Ireland’s, there was plenty to enjoy. As noted previously, there were no classics a la the France-All Blacks knock-out clashes of 1999 and 2007, nor even the thrills and spills which the likes of Wales and Fiji provided four years ago when seeking space, offloading and running from everywhere, notably in their 38-34 nine-try feast.

"Instead, everybody appears to have mutated into something similar, with an overt emphasis on crash-test dummy rugby as players collide, with little space for the speedsters or the tricksters with dancing feet."