Rob Andrew has admitted he failed Martin Johnson during his tenure as England manager.
Elite Rugby Director admits lack of support for World Cup manager
Director of elite rugby Rob Andrew has admitted he failed Martin Johnson during his tenure as England manager.
The pressure on Andrew has intensified since the publication of excerpts from three leaked World Cup reviews.
The findings paint the picture of a dysfunctional England squad and a coaching team out of its depth.
Johnson resigned as the team manager last week and attack coach Brian Smith, criticised heavily by some players in the leaked report, has also stood down.
Andrew described the Rugby Football Union as being at "rock bottom".
"I am absolutely shattered by what is going on both on and off the field," said Andrew.
"The RFU has to sort itself out. This is rock bottom, the lowest of the low, and it can't be allowed to continue.
"The reality of my job is that I am not the England team manager. I am the elite rugby director and I run a big department. But I absolutely accept responsibility for what is going on here.
"The World Cup was not what it should have been. The players have let themselves down, the coaches have maybe not done as good a job as they should, I've not done as good a job as I should have done.
"I should have supported Martin more and we should have done better."
The revelations have piled pressure on Andrew to resign but the former England fly-half has refused to step down.
"Of course I've considered my position. There's been soul-searching the whole time, it's been a pretty tough 12 months for everybody here.
"Does it mean I'm going to resign? No, I'm not. Does it mean it's all broken? No, it doesn't."
There is no financial incentive for Andrew to step down. It is understood he would receive the equivalent of six months' salary if he resigned but if the RFU wanted to remove him it could cost them at least three times that.
