Ashton on course to be given red rose green light

Brian Ashton has yet to be confirmed as England's head coach for the forthcoming Six Nations Championship hard to believe given the red rose army's achievement in making a second successive World Cup final but by the middle of next week, common sense should have prevailed.

Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby at Twickenham, is scheduled to divulge his thinking on the subject at a meeting of the national union's management board tomorrow week, and is expected to give full backing to the incumbent. Ashton yesterday confirmed, as if confirmation were needed, that he wanted to carry on.

"I want to win the 2011 World Cup," said the 61-year-old Lancastrian. "We have players coming through in the English game who can do that. Do I feel I still have the backing of the players? Yes, I do."

He certainly appears to have the backing of Jonny Wilkinson, the celebrated outside-half from Newcastle, who pinned his colours to the Ashton mast by praising his man-management skills the very part of the coach's make-up publicly criticised by two other senior players, Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt, in the immediate aftermath of the recent tournament in France. "He has always been a guy who can take the game forward," Wilkinson said. "He keeps you in the know. He comes to you with advice, but he listens as well.

"It's what you need at this level. Brian has ambition and he creates an atmosphere that allows players to be really daring in their rugby. I can only go on what I've seen, but we reached the final despite having only a couple of months to prepare. If a coach can have that sort of effect in such a short period, he's worth his salt."

Meanwhile, the Australians are preparing to interview a New Zealander, the successful Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans, for the vacancy at the top end of the Wallaby back-room operation. Deans, hot favourite for the All Black job until Graham Henry slipped up the blind side and struck a blow for the status quo, has a formidable amount of support on the other side of the Tasman Chris Latham, the outstanding Wallaby full-back, openly called for his appointment yesterday but other sectors of the rugby community believe the job should go to one of their own.

A fierce argument is expected before a decision is made on Friday.