The day after England won the World Cup in Sydney last November, their captain Martin Johnson was answering questions about whether he intended to continue his international career. No one was taking "maybe" for an answer.

The fact that the same question was put to just about all the thirtysomethings in the squad, including Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back, Jason Leonard and Will Greenwood, showed that the World Cup was not so much a beginning for Sir Clive Woodward as an end.

Johnson duly took his bow from the Test stage and before the season was out Back, Leonard and Kyran Bracken had followed, soon to be joined by Dorian West, Paul Grayson and, yesterday, Dallaglio. Back, originally left out of the squad for the Six Nations, was recalled as a replacement against Ireland but was left on the bench even though England were losing the battle at the breakdown. He announced his retirement shortly afterwards.

The former American football coach George Allen once described winning as the science of being totally prepared and, though the World Cup was a tribute to Woodward's long-term planning and attention to detail, he was ultimately not prepared for the absence of players who had been pivotal figures in his seven-year reign. Now, regardless of whether he turns his attention to football, it is increasingly likely that this season will be his last in charge of England; just as the ageing process caught up with his senior pros, perhaps his own tenure has come to a natural and unavoidable end point.

"Seven years is a very long time to be in charge of a national side," the Bath coach and former Australia selector John Connolly said yesterday. "In the southern hemisphere countries, five is regarded as the absolute maximum. The feeling is that any longer than that and your voice becomes stale. Teams tend to operate in four-year cycles because of the World Cup and coaches tend to perform well with one generation of players, struggling when it is time to introduce the next one."

Whispers about discontent behind the scenes in the England camp have been present for some time. During the summer's difficult southern hemisphere tour the Wasps coach Warren Gatland held a barbecue at which several England players were present and he later talked of a high level of discontent among the players, who complained of "meetings about meetings" and excessive input from "about 19 coaching staff".

During the World Cup, when England were struggling in the group stage, a deputation of players pleaded with Woodward to play a more expansive game. That discontent is likely to be exacerbated this season. Woodward faces alienating some of his players during the Lions tour to New Zealand next summer by leaving them out of the Test side, something which cost Graham Henry his job with Wales after the rancorous 2001 trip to Australia.

"England have some real issues, there is no doubt about that, and the player unrest has to be sorted out," said Connolly. "Dallaglio will be a big loss and I just hope that those in charge listen to what he has to say about the structure of the game here, because the demands on the leading players are far too great."

Building a side capable of winning the 2007 World Cup will be a huge task, and the short-term prognosis for team-building is poor. England face the Tri-Nations champions South Africa in November, along with Australia, and their Six Nations itinerary has them visiting Wales and Ireland, the latter last season ending an unbeaten run at Twickenham which had stretched back more than four years. The Celts sense that England, who have lost their past four matches, have never been more vulnerable in the professional era.

"I think the Six Nations will be the most open for years," the Wales and Toulouse full-back Gareth Thomas said yesterday. "Dallaglio's retirement means that England have lost another big player, and I do not think the championship is going to be about whether they or France finish first. There was a big gap between those two and the rest a few years ago but not any more."

England have lost five of their eight Tests since that heady night at Stadium Australia which earned every one of the squad a mention in the new year honours and Woodward a knighthood. What followed was anticlimax and, though Woodward signed a contract to take him to the next World Cup, he looks like following Johnson, Back, Leonard and Dallaglio through the door marked exit long before then.

Frontrunners to succeed Sir Clive

Rob Andrew
Newcastle
Director of rugby
Enjoyed a successful international career and has the advantage of having acted as Jonny Wilkinson's mentor, though has had political differences with Twickenham.

Nigel Melville
Gloucester
Director of rugby
A former England captain who has been involved at Under-21 level, he would probably come as a package with his right-hand man at Kingsholm, Dean Ryan.

Mark Evans
Harlequins
Director of rugby
Applied for the Wales job this year, the country where he was brought up having been born in England. Impressed the Welsh Rugby Union and has revitalised Quins.

Dean Richards
Grenoble
Head coach
An outsider after parting with Leicester last January amid reports that he had fallen out with some of the senior players, but his playing and coaching records compare with anyone's.

Nick Mallett
Former South Africa coach
England are likely to go for a native, but despite playing two Tests for the Springboks and guiding them to 17 consecutive victories Mallett, who quit Stade Français in July, was born in Hertfordshire.