Stuart Lancaster faces an agonising month of uncertainty before learning whether he will hang on to his post as England head coach - unless he chooses to resign first.
It is understood that the RFU are preparing to announce details in the next three days of their post-World Cup review process, but the findings are unlikely to be delivered until long after the tournament ends. The union's management board are due to receive an official report at their next scheduled board meeting on November 17, before the recommendations are formally ratified and acted upon.
The review will be overseen by RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie, who is expected to seek feedback from leading figures from within the governing body, such as professional rugby director Rob Andrew, chairman Bill Beaumont and president Jason Leonard. Initial indications are that Ritchie will be open to receiving independent, external views, but these may be sought on an informal basis.
At this stage, it appears that the make-up of any review panel could be the subject of considerable secrecy. While details of in-house participants may be divulged, others from outside the union who are asked to take part will have their identities protected if they are uneasy about being associated with a post-mortem with potentially grave and profound consequences.
The terms of the review will be relatively narrow, focusing predominantly on the senior England squad in terms of management, selection, preparation, performance and overall strategy. The implication is that Ritchie's own decision-making is unlikely to come under scrutiny - despite the contentious decision to award Lancaster and his assistants six-year contract extensions - and Andrew's position is also beyond the boundaries of the process.
