Sir Clive Woodward will today cite his failure to persuade Premiership clubs to release their players for international training sessions for the number of days he requested as one of the reasons why he resigned as the England head coach, a breakdown in relations which makes it less likely that his successor will be drawn from their ranks.
Only five of the 12 clubs have an Englishman at the helm. The Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew has ruled himself out of the job; John Wells has only just taken over as Leicester head coach and Worcester's Andy Keast, although an assistant on the 1997 Lions tour, is starting his first season in the top flight.
Nigel Melville of Gloucester and Harlequins' Mark Evans would be the leading candidates from the Premiership. But one club official said last night: "I would be surprised if any director of rugby goes for the England job because of all the hassle which goes with it.
"We gave Clive everything he wanted in terms of player release before the World Cup, but he was not prepared to give anything back to us. The English game is not just about the national side and we need a partnership with the England management to take us forward."
Woodward once described his job as trying to ski uphill because of the politics involved, but other national coaches in Europe envied the time he had with the players. A more germane reason for his departure is the loss of more than one-third of the squad that won the World Cup, with only three years to go before the start of the 2007 tournament in France.
After the World Cup Woodward made it clear that his assistant, Andy Robinson, should succeed him but the two occupy very distinct roles. Woodward's forte is management and organisation while Robinson is concerned with coaching, tactics and selection. "I am not sure that Andy would want the job," said the former England captain Will Carling.
"The Rugby Football Union does not have to look any further than the Premiership, with Rob Andrew and Nigel Melville outstanding candidates. Clive's departure is fairly shocking for Twickenham, especially as he signed a new contract after winning the World Cup."
Woodward has always emphasised the English element of his operation, notwithstanding the fact that John Mitchell, the former Waikato captain who went on to coach New Zealand, was his assistant for a couple of years at the end of the 90s.
However, given the healthy state of Twickenham's finances following the World Cup success, with income up 20%, as well as the £250,000 a year salary which goes with the job, it would be a surprise if the RFU did not advertise the position around the world.
Warren Gatland, a Kiwi director of rugby of England's champion club Wasps, is regarded as an outside bet and has experience with Ireland, while the former South Africa coach Nick Mallett, currently out of a job in rugby after leaving Stade Français in July, was born in Hertfordshire.
Mitchell cannot be ruled out. He had experience in England not just as part of the national squad management but also with Sale and Wasps. He was made to re-apply for his position as New Zealand coach last December after failing to guide his side beyond the World Cup semi-finals and lost out to Graham Henry.
Mitchell was approached by at least one Premiership club afterwards but chose to remain in New Zealand and took up a position with the Waikato provincial side. He admitted during the World Cup that his time with England had been among the most enjoyable of his career and said that the only reason that he left for home was that the RFU had delayed offering him a new contract.
He may also relish the chance of gaining a measure of revenge on the New Zealand Rugby Union. He is a close friend of Melville, having been part of the Wasps management team with him and he was in England at the end of last season.
Another candidate with international experience is the England academy coach Brian Ashton, one of Gatland's predecessors with Ireland, while the most successful English club coach in the modern era, Dean Richards, is in France with Grenoble.
