KEY POINTS:
ST-ANDRE-DES-EAUX - There will be no halt put on foreign players coming to play in England or France, says the Rugby Football Union's elite director of rugby Rob Andrew.
While the 44-year-old former England first five-eighth admitted both England and France were effectively financing six or seven international rugby teams - with the number of players plying their trade in each country - he said there was no way they would be stopped from playing so as to let homegrown talent flourish.
"The England and French rugby economies are actually supporting six or seven international teams," said Andrew, who was a member of the England teams that reached the 1991 World Cup final and 1995 semifinals.
"We're supporting England, France, Samoa, Argentina, Georgia, Italy and Scotland - or at least heading that way. These are market forces.
"We will not stop the arrival of foreign talent coming into the English game or the French game," added the boyish looking former Newcastle Falcons chief, who earned the nickname "Squeaky" during his career.
Andrew, who took up his post in August 2006 and engineered the eventual removal of then coach Andy Robinson to be replaced by Brian Ashton, said the benefits to foreign players playing in England and France had been evident when the English were in danger of losing to Samoa on Saturday but eventually pulled away to win 44-22.
"At international level we have all seen in this tournament where the game's going," said Andrew.
"A lot of these teams now have a good proportion of their players employed as fulltime professionals in Europe, particularly in England and France.
"Apart from the halfback the whole of the (Samoa) back line are pros in the English Premiership."
Andrew, who won 71 caps, said he hoped that 2003 World Cup drop-goal hero Jonny Wilkinson would be given a run in the team after making his first World Cup appearance since his last second effort edged the Australians in the 2003 final.
"I just hope that somehow he's allowed a run of games, and that's down to injury and selection but the key thing for any player is they get a run of games where they build up confidence," said Andrew, who is credited with discovering Wilkinson when he went to Newcastle.
"That's Jonny's first game in this World Cup and only his eighth since the last World Cup in an England shirt," added Andrew, who had also dropped a goal to see off the Wallabies - in the 1995 World Cup quarterfinals.
Andrew also moved to quash press reports during last week that following the record World Cup defeat to the Springboks, 36-0, the England squad had had crisis talks.
"Some (of the reporting) has been wide of the mark. Clearly when a side - the world champions - lose a group game 36-0, within the organisation, within the group, there's going to be a reaction.
"It wasn't a crisis meeting, as some have alluded to."
Despite the win over Samoa, England face Tonga in a do or die group match next Friday, where a loss for the English would see them earn the unwanted tag of being the first titleholders to go out at the first stage.
- AFP
