At face value the lack of support given to England head coach Brian Ashton since Saturday's World Cup final has been bewildering.

Senior players such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery failed to give their full backing as soon as discussions over Ashton's future began.

And director of elite rugby Rob Andrew, Ashton's superior at the Rugby Football Union, told the England coach he must wait for next month's review to discover his future.

The lack of clamour for his reappointment speaks volumes and makes it safe to assume that when Andrew does deliver his verdict, there will be no long-term contract on offer.

Instead, maybe the best Ashton can hope for is a one-year extension to the agreement that runs out in December while a permanent successor is found.

On the surface Ashton's achievements appear remarkable, transforming a team that was in complete disarray into World Cup finalists - in little more than 10 months.

No one gave the defending champions a hope and they looked finished following the 36-0 group humiliation by South Africa.

The changes did not take place overnight, but against Samoa and Tonga they gradually built confidence before shocking the tournament with titanic victories over Australia and France.

Unfortunately for Ashton, many believe the upturn in fortunes was masterminded by the players who gathered amid the ruins of the Springbok calamity.

A plan was hatched to get England playing the tight, effective rugby that swept them to the dramatic re-match against South Africa.

Mike Catt, assisted by Jonny Wilkinson, Dallaglio and Martin Corry, has been cast as the ringleader with Ashton thrust onto the periphery.

Rejuvenated scrum-half Andy Gomarsall alluded to the tone of the meeting when he said:

"We had no choice at the time - things weren't working and we had to change it.

"When you're on the field it's the players, not coaches, who are calling the shots. The players had every right to speak up and it worked."

While the popular theory remains that the players devised one of the most astonishing comebacks in British sporting history, others have spoken out in support of Ashton.

They claim his management style is to empower the players to make their own decisions, viewing his own position as facilitator rather than ringmaster.

But it would appear many senior figures do not agree and crucially it is Andrew's opinion that matters most.

The former England fly-half was in France throughout and when he decides on Ashton's future, he may well be answering the question over who led the team to final.

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A scan through newspapers and websites in New Zealand reveals the nation is still deluding itself over the All Blacks' bitter exit from the World Cup.

English referee Wayne Barnes continues to attract vitriol, the players were not hungry enough, the preparation was wrong, there was a lack of experience in the team etc etc.

But little mention of that nasty All Black affliction that descends around this time once every four years - choking, the definition of which is to beat France seven times in a row by an average of 42 points, yet lose the eighth match when it matters most at the World Cup.

The fact New Zealand have dominated Test rugby for 20 years yet have lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy just once during that time tells its own story.

But until the All Blacks accept they must address their flawed psychology when under pressure at the World Cup, that record will not improve.

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Beware Australia's frantic efforts to press ahead with law changes in the wake of the Wallaby scrum's disintegration against England.

Australia rugby chief John O'Neill may want to turn union into a hybrid version of league to suit Wallaby strengths, but rucking mauling and scrummaging are as much a part of the sport as the try.

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