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Rugby Union

Ashton 'will not sue' over coaching reshuffle, RFU claims

18/04/2008

Former England head coach Brian Ashton 'will not sue' the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over his sacking in favour of Martin Johnson, it has emerged.

At a press conference to officially unveil Johnson as the new England team manager, elite performance director Rob Andrew claimed he had received assurances from Ashton that he would not be pursuing legal action.

Andrew admitted dismissing Ashton had been "a very difficult situation for him and I, personally and professionally" but argued it was necessary to progress the elite rugby structure within the RFU.

Several media sources claimed former Ireland and Bath coach Ashton has been seeking legal advice over his position after being effectively demoted to a position within the National Academy, despite leading England to the 2007 Rugby World Cup final and a second-place finish in the 2008 Six Nations.

But RFU chief executive Francis Baron denied the contention that it had treated Ashton badly over the whole affair.

"I do not accept that Brian has not been properly dealt with overall," Baron stated, before explaining that Ashton would have no legal grounds to sue anyway.

He continued: "There has been a lot of adverse media comment about Brian's role since the World Cup.

"But Brian is very highly valued within the RFU and remains on a contract to us. That contract caters for Brian to be switched to alternative roles within the RFU."

Baron said he believes Ashton "has a massive amount still to offer England rugby" and that being in charge of the National Academy "is ideally suited to Brian's special skill-set".

The chief executive also claimed the job offered to Ashton is higher up the RFU pyramid than his previous position with the Academy, and he is expected to take the role on after details are finalised in talks next week.

"It is a wider role than the one he previously held at the National Academy, covering the Saxons, the under 20s and the under 18s," he said.

"We believe Brian has an outstanding track record in developing young talent for the future, as can be seen by the emergence of players such as Danny Cipriani and Shane Geraghty."