Robertson calls for RFU reform

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson has called on the Rugby Football Union to "reform the way it's run" in the wake of damaging revelations about England's failed World Cup campaign.

Robertson admitted he was not surprised by the contents of leaked reports into England's performance in New Zealand, which ended with a quarter-final defeat to France.

Robertson said: "The important thing is the RFU use this an opportunity to reform the way rugby is run in this country to make sure the sport itself has a much better corporate governance structure around it and that they put in a much better high performance system which is going to deliver success at the very highest level and give the best chance possible of winning the Rugby World Cup in 2015."

The three confidential reports into England's World Cup performance were compiled by the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Players' Association and the Aviva Premiership clubs.

Few parties connected with England come out of the findings, published in The Times, well. The reports paint a grim picture of a disunited squad, riven by a lack of trust under the leadership of a management team out of their depth.

Robertson has accused the RFU of being stuck in the amateur era and has called for the organisation to take advice from other successful governing bodies, including the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"I think anybody who cares about rugby in this country can only be dismayed about what has happened at Twickenham and in New Zealand during the World Cup," Robertson added.

"There is nothing that is a great surprise in this morning's revelations, people have been saying such things to me over the last few months.

"Sport in this country has quite a lot of governance which is stuck in a different era and in rugby's case, they have not really made the transition from the old amateur game to the professional game.

"It needs to be done if sport is going to be run properly and the elite end is going to achieve what is expected it to. The message to rugby is don't feel the whole world is against you and make use of the expertise which is elsewhere."