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LONDON - England World Cup players Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt have escaped censure after criticising coach Brian Ashton's performance in their recent autobiographies.
"No further action in respect of the books or of their newspaper serialisation will be taken. Both players have been informed accordingly," a statement from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said.
England recovered from a dreadful 36-0 pool loss to South Africa to reach the World Cup final but Ashton's leadership came under fire from Dallaglio who said the players did not know who was in charge at times during the tournament.
Catt, who announced his retirement from international rugby after the tournament, said the squad had "no direction, no shape and no belief" prior to the South Africa pool game and believed England's preparation had been poor.
The RFU statement said it had taken into account public comments from both players who agreed the timing of the release of their books was "not ideal".
- REUTERS
