Jack Rowell announced yesterday that he is to step down as England coach when his contract expires on August 31st. His decision comes just 48 hours after Lions coach Ian McGeechan rejected the England post in order to remain at Northampton. Rowell, who took over the England reins in April 1994 and has led England to a Five Nations Championship Grand Slam, three Triple Crowns and a World Cup semi-final, is to pursue his business interests. He has been under pressure to upgrade his existing part-time England arrangement to a full-time contract, but has repeatedly insisted that would be highly improbable.

It had been thought that Rowell's appointment up until the 1999 World Cup would be rubber-stamped by the RFU's management board on Friday week. However, senior RFU player policy-making figures Bill Beaumont and Fran Cotton publicly voiced their support for McGeechan, which may have been the straw that broke Rowell's back.

England captain Phil de Glanville led fierce criticism of the Rugby Football Union after Rowell's announcement. De Glanville aimed his fire at Beaumont and Cotton.

"We all know that the RFU has been looking around for a possible successor, but this sort of thing should be done behind closed doors, and not in public," De Glanville said. "I'm sure the things said in public about Jack and the coaching position will have had some effect on him. The RFU has handled this whole affair very badly."