The Rugby Football Union is weighing up whether to delay the appointment of a new performance director until after the World Cup after being snubbed by Sir Clive Woodward.
The board of directors meets on Wednesday to discuss the fallout following Woodward's decision not to put himself forward for the role, with some members still hopeful the former England head coach may be tempted to change his mind.
The RFU has had its reputation tarnished this month, which is saying something given the hash it has made of major appointments in the past. The relationship between the RFU's chief executive, John Steele, and elected members on the board needs to be repaired.
Steele wanted the search for the performance director to be open and transparent yet Woodward ended up on a three-man shortlist for a job for which he had not applied. The only reason he gave for pulling out was that he wanted to remain with the British Olympic Association in the build-up to next year's Olympics, but the clear divisions on the RFU will hardly have convinced him that much had changed since he resigned as the England head coach in 2004.
Two candidates remain on the shortlist, including the RFU's academy manager, Stuart Lancaster, but the RFU may decide to readvertise the post, hoping to tempt candidates who may have been put off by a belief that the job was Woodward's.
Steele faces a crucial couple of weeks to establish his authority after falling out with some members of the board over the process of appointing the performance director. He received backing on Friday from Premiership Rugby, whose chairman, Quentin Smith, said: "We are working effectively with the RFU and we have valued the new approach and engagement of John Steele."
Steele is in Cardiff this weekend, watching the Amlin Challenge Cup final between Harlequins and Stade Français before supporting Northampton in Saturday's Heineken Cup final against Leinster: he was the Saints' director of rugby when they won the trophy in 2000 by defeating Munster at Twickenham.
"To have English clubs in each European final is fantastic," Steele said. "I know from my own experience that winning a European trophy is one of the greatest achievements in rugby. The RFU has come a long way in working with the clubs as true partners.
"When I sat on the Team England board in 2001 relationships were challenging and combative. The discussions at a meeting of the Professional Game Board this week have been collaborative and constructive and in the best interests of rugby, which is as it should be."
The Leicester director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, and his head coach, Matt O'Connor, will have to wait until Sunday to find out whether they will be charged with allegedly using foul and abusive language during last weekend's play-off semi-final victory against Northampton at Welford Road. The RFU's chief disciplinary officer, Jeff Blackett, who had hoped to announce on Friday whether the pair had a case to answer, delayed his decision after receiving additional evidence. Any disciplinary hearing would be held next week, with the pair facing being banned from attending next weekend's final against Saracens at Twickenham.
