Andy Robinson, the last England head coach to suffer a review of his performance - he was subsequently sacked - yesterday warned Twickenham it had to seize the opportunity of sorting out the England management structure and say who was the boss.

The head coach should then be given powers to do things his way, said Robinson, who was part of Clive Woodward's coaching team in 2003 and then ran things for two years while apparently never happy the structure was right; he asked for a manager to work alongside him but was denied.

With Rob Andrew, the RFU's director of elite rugby, reviewing the performances of England and their head coach Brian Ashton up to and including the World Cup, Robinson said: "It's important to have reviews, but you have to make a decision on who is the leader. One of the things I learned from my time with the RFU is that if I'm the leader they have to have faith in everything I want to achieve.

"You have to have the ability to put everything in the place you want, and have total support. Whoever it is decided is the head coach, then they should have the ability to put together what they want to put together. There were things I was not able to achieve."

Robinson was sacked after a run of poor games and is now coaching Edinburgh. He was speaking in Cardiff at yesterday's launch of the 13th year of the Heineken European Cup.

Robinson was reluctant to judge Ashton's efforts at the World Cup but is against players like Mike Catt and Lawrence Dallaglio going public with criticisms of Ashton in books soon to be published. Catt has accused Ashton of going into the World Cup without a game plan and Dallaglio cited what he saw as a lack of management skills.

"Whether it's soccer, rugby, cricket or any team game, what's said within the camp needs to stay within the camp," said Robinson.

"There are always going to be difficult moments, pleasure for players who get picked, disappointment for those who don't," he added. "Tactics could change, coaches could make comments but it's a team game and it's also important that what is said stays within the team . . . Teamship is a bond that you have and it's vital you are trustworthy to everybody."

If Martyn Thomas, chairman of the RFU's management board, gets his way such sentiments, in the form of a gagging clause, will be written in players' contracts for World Cups and major tours. He has described the criticism by Catt and Dallaglio as "absolutely disgraceful" and has referred the matter to Twickenham's legal team.

"This has tarnished a great achievement," said Thomas. "Any clause we introduce will apply to major tours and major tournaments, but within the confines of the law. We can't become censors. We have freedom of speech. I have already put a call in to the RFU legal officer, Karena Vleck, and we will discuss it."

Meanwhile, Ian McGeechan has slammed the European Cup organisers for handing his reigning champions, London Wasps, a horror draw in this year's competition.

The Wasps boss spoke out as he prepares to launch the defence of their title against Munster next month. The so-called "pool of death" also includes last year's semi-finalists Llanelli Scarlets and the French championship runners-up Clermont Auvergne.

In comparison London Irish, Bristol, Saracens and Harlequins have arguably all been handed easier pools, despite being seeded below Wasps.

Speaking at yesterday's launch, McGeechan said: "It's very frustrating. We're supposed to be the number-one seeds in this competition so how can the top seeds get a draw like this? I'm still trying to get my head around it."

Rather than basing seedings on form in Europe, the champions of all six participating nations head the six pools. This season that includes Glasgow Warriors and Benetton Treviso, neither of whom have ever progressed past the group stage. Hence last year's beaten finalists Leicester Tigers, seeded second from the English teams, have landed in the same group as Leinster, Toulouse and Edinburgh.

"The thinking seems to be based on how to make the competition more competitive for the Celtic countries," said McGeechan. "But you have to argue that they must earn that right by what they achieve in the Magners League. Their seedings should be based upon their final standings in that competition, as they are in England and France . . . I still believe this is a fantastic tournament. But if you want to keep improving the competition you have to be willing to tweak things."