The Rugby Football Union has accepted the resignation of the England rugby union coach, Sir Clive Woodward, it was announced at the game's Twickenham headquarters tonight.
Andy Robinson, the former Bath boss and Woodford's one-time assistant, will take over as acting coach, with his tenure including England's autumn internationals.
The RFU announcement brings to an end weeks of speculation that 48-year-old Woodward, who guided England to World Cup victory just over nine months ago, would leave the England post. He spent most of yesterday in talks at Twickenham.
Woodward has been linked with making a switch to football, and Premiership club Southampton are believed to be keen to employ him in a motivational capacity. It has been speculated that he could begin work with the Saints' first team later this month.
The crowning glory of his seven-year reign as England coach came when Jonny Wilkinson's last-ditch drop goal defeated Australia in Sydney and sealed World Cup triumph.
"I have today handed in a letter to RFU chief executive Francis Baron informing him that I am resigning my post as England head coach. This has been accepted," Woodward said in a statement.
"I informed Francis yesterday that I was happy to stay for the Investec Test matches in the autumn, but in discussion with him it was agreed that it would make for a smoother transition of coaching and management responsibility if I withdrew from the head coach position with immediate effect.
"I give my full support to Andy Robinson, who has been asked by the RFU to become acting head coach."
Mr Baron paid tribute to the coach's England success, saying: "Clive has done an outstanding job for England and the union, and his notable successes in winning the [Six Nations] Grand Slam and the World Cup in the same year are massive achievements, for which he has been rightly honoured.
"I'm sure Clive will have success in any challenges that he may now decide to accept, and we are in the process of considering suitable candidates to replace him.
"He will obviously be a very tough act to follow, but we are fortunate to have a wide number of highly qualified coaches within the existing England coaching set-up, and that is where we will start our search."
