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The Rugby Football Union has denied making an approach to Nick Mallett in a bid to find a replacement for England head coach Stuart Lancaster, after the South African made claims that he has received contact over the role.
Former Springboks and Italy head coach Mallett told South African media that he received a phone call from the RFU earlier this week following England’s embarrassingly early exit from the Rugby World Cup.
Lancaster faces an uncertain future following intense criticism of his selection choices during the World Cup as well as failing to land any silverware in the form of the Six Nations during his four years in charge, and the failure to emerge from Pool A instead of either Australia or Wales has raised serious questions over his future as head coach.
The RFU has insisted that a full review of Lancaster and his coaching staff will take place before any decision is made, while Lancaster himself has delayed talk of resigning from his role until after England’s final pool game against Uruguay on Saturday.
An RFU spokesman said on Friday: "There is a clear process at the conclusion of England's tournament, which starts with the review. No pre-judgements have been made nor anyone contacted."
Show all 30 1 /30England vs Australia player ratings England vs Australia player ratings <b>England:</b> 15. Mike Brown - 6 out of 10 Uncharacteristic knock-on inside his own 22 put his side under pressure, but he made up for it with a try-saving tackle on Folau. A quiet game with ball in the hand though.
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England vs Australia player ratings 14. Anthony Watson - 6 out of 10 Showed sheer strength to break two tackles and score his try, but unfortunately it didn’t spur on some of his under-performing teammates.
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England vs Australia player ratings 13. Jonathan Joseph - 6 out of 10 Threatened to break free throughout the first-half but his switch to the wing nullified his role in the game and all of his attacking came outside of Australia’s 22.
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England vs Australia player ratings 12. Brad Baritt - 5 out of 10 His best moment came seconds before he went off as he won a penalty after chasing down Kurtley Beale. Tackling was better this week, but his days in the red rose are numbered.
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England vs Australia player ratings 11. Jonny May - 5 out of 10 Kept very quiet in the first-half and was replaced in bizarre circumstances as he emerged for the second period only to turn and limp off before play resumed.
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England vs Australia player ratings 10. Owen Farrell - 4 out of 10 Kicking from hand was incredibly sloppy, and while he retained his 100 per cent kicking record, he will be blamed for a stupid shoulder charge on Matt Giteau that saw him sin-binned and end any hope of an English fightback.
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England vs Australia player ratings 9. Ben Youngs - 5 out of 10 Nowhere near his best again and his inability to provide quick ball seriously hurt England’s chances. Replaced early after the break with Richard Wigglesworth.
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England vs Australia player ratings 1. Joe Marler - 4 out of 10 Romain Poite set his crosshairs on the Harlequins loosehead and he was withdrawn before he was sent to the cooler. Three penalties for angling in – exactly what the Australian doctor ordered – put paid o his World Cup.
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England vs Australia player ratings 2. Tom Youngs - 6 out of 10 One awful lineout throw but his play with ball in hand bordered on the excellent when England were under the kosh in the first half.
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England vs Australia player ratings 3. Dan Cole - 6 out of 10 Had his hands full with the challenge that Sio brought and his departure in the second half suggested he had lost the battle. Looked a different player when not going forward in the scrum.
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England vs Australia player ratings 4. Joe Launchbury - 6 out of 10 Bizarrely named man of the match although he tried his best to have an impact on the game. Looked broken as he walked off the field, but his time will come.
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England vs Australia player ratings 5. Geoff Parling - 5 out of 10 Took the very first lineout when England still had high hopes, but his effect faded dramatically and you wouldn’t have known that he was still on the pitch come the final whistle.
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England vs Australia player ratings 6. Tom Wood - 6 out of 10 A unit in defence once again but even he couldn’t live with the brilliant Hooper. Never loses through a lack of trying.
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England vs Australia player ratings 7. Chris Robshaw - 5 out of 10 His days as England captain look to be over bar one meaningless outing in Manchester, and he was completely outclassed by his opposite number. His missed tackle on Israel Folau can sum up England’s World Cup.
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England vs Australia player ratings 8. Ben Morgan - 7 out of 10 One of the standout first half performers as he put his body on the line for the cause. Tired in the second as the pace caught up with him, but one of the bright stars on a deeply dark night.
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England vs Australia player ratings <b>Australia:</b> 15. Israel Folau - 6 out of 10 Far from his best, which was a shame from such a big time player, but at least he looked to come into the line and on another day could’ve had two tries. Replaced by Matt Toomua midway through the second half.
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England vs Australia player ratings 14. Adam Ashley-Cooper - 7 out of 10 Did the basics well as he has become so accustomed to, and produced the final pass to send in Giteau in the corner to spark the Wallaby celebrations.
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England vs Australia player ratings 13. Tevita Kuridrani - 7 out of 10 More than held his own in the centre and used his sizeable bulk to take the bite out of Joseph. Never took a step backwards which gave Australia a perfect platform.
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England vs Australia player ratings 12. Matt Giteau - 7 out of 10 Quietly went about his business to link the pack with the stupidly talented back line at Australia’s disposal, and showed his grit when he got up from an illegal tackle from Farrell that nearly rearranged every bone in his upper torso to score the final try.
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England vs Australia player ratings 11. Rob Horne - 5 out of 10 Picked up an arm injury very early on and was replaced by Kurtley Beale.
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England vs Australia player ratings 10. Bernard Foley - 9 out of 10 The true man of the match whose 28-point haul is the stuff dreams are made of. Stepped back inside Youngs and Brown to score his first try, and was on Beale’s shoulder to finish the second. Add a 100 per cent kicking record as well as exemplary passing and you’ll see why Foley has kept Quade Cooper out of this side.
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England vs Australia player ratings 9. Will Genia - 7 out of 10 The scrum-half produced quick ball but his game was made easier by forwards sprinting onto his passes unlike those in white.
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England vs Australia player ratings 1. Scott Sio - 7 out of 10 Saw off the challenge of Cole, though started off in the wrong, and did well to get Romain Poite back on his side.
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England vs Australia player ratings 2. Stephen Moore - 7 out of 10 The skipper grew a little wayward in the lineout during a testing second half, but that can be put down to tiredness as he left soon after. Showed delightful passing skills when out in the back line.
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England vs Australia player ratings 3. Sekope Kepu - 8 out of 10 The talk was that Australia had found a loosehead who could scrummage, but no one mentioned the tighthead. Kepu gave Marler so many problems that he was hauled off the pitch, and Mako Vunipola didn’t fare much better either.
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England vs Australia player ratings 4. Kane Douglas - 6 out of 10 Gave away a penalty in the second half when England were threatening an unlikely comeback, but all in all he didn’t do an awful lot wrong.
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England vs Australia player ratings 5. Rob Simmons - 7 out of 10 Reliable in the air and looked to take the restart every time it came his way.
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England vs Australia player ratings 6. Scott Fardy - 6 out of 10 The quiet man of the Australian back-row did what he had to, but with ‘Pooper’ leading the way he was always going to be outshined.
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England vs Australia player ratings 7. Michael Hooper - 9 out of 10 An unstoppable force in the breakdown as he tortured England in the ruck. Didn’t see too much of the ball in attack, but that’s because he was usually turning it over.
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England vs Australia player ratings 8. David Pocock - 8 out of 10 His defence was very impressive but it was his role as first receiver that stood out. Looked to move the ball on which gave the back line time and space to work with. His worth to the Wallabies simply cannot be explained.
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The response comes after Mallett, who is currently working as an analyst for South African television, claimed he had been contacted over replacing the man that he lost out to when Lancaster was given the job in 2012 on a permanent basis.
"I'm not going to consider it. I was keen for the challenge in 2011, but not anymore. I'm enjoying my current job," Mallett is reported to have said during a media breakfast for Super Rugby side Blue Bulls.
Lancaster has also been asked for his response on the matter, and insisted that he was unaware of any contact between the RFU and a possible successor to his tenure.
"I didn't know that to be honest, that's just the nature of the situation we are in. For me it's a case of getting on with the day job," said Lancaster.
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