Johnson hits out at RFU over weak decisions

Martin Johnson, the great Leicester lock who led England to their World Cup triumph in 2003, last night attacked the Rugby Football Union for failing to appoint a high-powered elite director in the immediate aftermath of the victory in Australia.

Johnson stopped short of suggesting that Andy Robinson, the beleaguered head coach, should have been sacked with the rest of the back-room staff last April, but criticised the union's chief executive, Francis Baron, for weak decision-making.

"He's in charge of all aspects of the business," Johnson said. "I don't want to point fingers and blame people, but that is an issue. In sport you know one thing: if you say, 'Let's do the same again,' you rarely succeed. You have to go, 'Right, we'll take this to the next level'."