Northampton Saints coach Jim Mallinder signals his interest in taking Martin Johnson's job as England boss

Speaking at the Twickenham launch of the Heineken Cup, the 45-year-old Mallinder, who guided the Saints to the final of last season’s tournament, said that it was an understandable ambition to want to coach at the very top level.

“Every player should want to aspire to play for his country and I think that’s probably the same for coaches too,” said Mallinder, the former Sale full-back who won two England caps in 1997. “You should always aspire to be the very best you can.

“If one day, I ever have that honour, it would be something that would be very difficult to turn down.” Mallinder has already coached at the level below full international level, taking charge of the England Saxons between 2006 and 2007. In that role he achieved the impressive record of 15 wins in 16 matches, including a victory over the New Zealand Maori in the final of the Churchill Cup. He had previously coached Sale and had also worked in the RFU’s National Academy.

Johnson’s fate is in the hands of two reviews, one headed by Rob Andrew and the other led by Fran Cotton. Whether the Cotton review actually goes ahead is open to question as leading players and other figures in the game have already questioned its authority. Its scope, and possibly its future, is due to be discussed by an RFU board meeting onTuesday.

One individual who will certainly not be taking the England reins is Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill. Asked if he was interested in a role with the national team, the former Test hooker could hardly have been more adamant in his rejection of the suggestion.

Cockerill said: “In my opinion, the experience needed to manage the national job and the pressure that it entails is just not right for me. They haven’t asked and I don’t expect them to. And I certainly wouldn’t apply. So that rules me out.”

Cockerill, who was a team-mate of Johnson with both Leicester and England, explained that taking charge of England was a job for someone with substantially more coaching experience than he has acquired in his three years with the Tigers.

“The England job is a huge job, completely different in its objectives and management of players,” said Cockerill. “For me, given 10 years more experience I might think about it, but I’m still trying to master the club game, never mind Test match rugby.”

Johnson’s own lack of experience has often been questioned, but Cockerill praised the 2003 World Cup winner for having the courage to take it on in the first place. However, he also suggested that Johnson would have to bite the bullet and make changes to his wider coaching team if he were to carry on.

Currently, three of Johnson’s assistants - John Wells, Graham Rowntree and Brian Smith - are former Leicester players. Cockerill hinted that Johnson’s old loyalties might have to be put to one side.

Cockerill said: “The thing you have to admire about Johnno is that he didn’t need the job. He wanted to do it because he thought he could add something to it.

“He has a huge amount of rugby knowledge. It’s the things around that that have let him down really. I still think there’s a place for him in the England set-up and that he can still offer a lot to the environment.

“Sometimes you have to make awkward, hard decisions that people don’t like. If Johnno wants to stay on he has to accept that there have been mistakes and he will have to make hard decisions about the environment he’s got. People come and go, players come and go. You have to take it in a very professional manner.”

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke says Manchester United are streets ahead of Manchester City off the pitch

“I would be much more proud if all our leagues were developed with the idea that you are competing on the basis of intellect and work and effort instead of just simply, 'I am going to throw dollars against the wall’,” said Kroenke. With the rest of the Premier League struggling to keep pace with Manchester City, Kroenke defended Arsenal’s self-sustainable model and made a point of acclaiming the Glazers for underpinning their phenomenal success by developing Manchester United infrastructure and revenues. Kroenke’s own takeover at Arsenal differs fundamentally from the controversial leveraged model that has loaded debt on United, but he said that supporters should focus on the results. “What was so tough about the Glazers’ situation?” said Kroenke. “They won. And they have increased revenues by a huge amount. If I was a fan of that club I would go ’wow’. Because how could you do it any better?” When it was put to him that the Glazers had taken money out of the club, Kroenke said: “Some of their players have taken money out and maybe they haven’t performed. I think it’s time maybe for everybody to think a little bit. “In the States, you would never get this dialogue. He [Glazer] took money out of the club. So what? Jerry Buss [the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers] takes money out of the club. A lot of owners in the US do. No-one ever says anything about it. Did the Lakers win anything? Well, yeah, they did. How big is their revenue? Pretty darn good.” There were also words of caution when the subject turned to the business models of Manchester City or Chelsea, who have been so reliant on the respective wealth of Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour. When asked how Arsenal can compete with “petro-dollar fuelled” clubs, Kroenke said: “I think you can have people, and we have had them in the States, where they will spend a lot and they will do it for a little while and they might have some success. “But maybe the person everyone is relying on maybe gets tired of it or has a financial reversal. What you are doing is that you are putting the focus on one person, one resource and is that really in the interests of a long term situation for a great club that many people identify with and rely on? “Anybody who is a sportsman would rather compete on the basis of intellect and cleverness than they would at being able to throw money against the wall. Anyone can go and buy a player, but it takes a lot more to identify that player, develop that player and position him. “If you look at our history we are long-term investors. We don’t get involved just to be here, be gone tomorrow, flip and make a profit. That’s not us.” Kroenke has never taken money out of his various sports teams and has guaranteed that his share purchases will place no debt on Arsenal. Yet the intentions of Premier League owners have been placed firmly under the spotlight in recent weeks. Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre raised the idea of selling overseas television rights individually while Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, claimed that “a number” of overseas owners were debating whether relegation should be scrapped. “I’m not going to start throwing out that there’s a direction that the Premier League should take,” said Kroenke. “It’s a tremendously successful league. It would be presumptuous of me to comment. I think that is for people who have studied that and understand it.” Krorenke has been in London since last Thursday and, after watching the 5-3 win against Chelsea, he personally addressed the players at the club’s London Colney training base yesterday morning. “I told them that I’m proud of them, that they have faced adversity but I think they have shown a real class and spirit in fighting through it,” he said. Kroenke also told of how he became engaged in conversation with Chelsea fans as he walked to Stamford Bridge. “They were very good,” he said. “They were talking to me a little bit about the stadium. It [Arsenal’s stadium] has been developed. We have a strong economic model, something they don’t have and it is something they are interested in.” Kroenke has also spoken with Robin van Persie, the Arsenal captain, whose contract expires in 2013. While Kroenke would not comment on that specific situation, he did further explain the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. “One of the players who departed had nothing to do with money,” said Kroenke. “You could say, 'well, the other player departed for money’. That’s where being smart and not being smart comes in. You’ve got one year left on a player’s contract. You’ve got a large sum of money being offered. “Can you employ those resources better than you could had you not taken the money, taken a chance on losing the guy for nothing in a year or perhaps overpaying for him now and having less resources later?” Of Van Persie, he said: “I think he’s doing a great job. Arsene said the other day 'can we succeed if we are not together? Absolutely not’. If we are together we have a chance. I think that Robin van Persie gets that and I think he has shown real leadership.” Van Persie later tweeted his approval: “It was great to hear from Stan Kroenke today before training - great speech,” he said.

Indian Grand Prix 2011: Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa still at loggerheads after latest collision

Not only did the pair disagree over who was at fault for the incident on lap 24, for which Massa earned a drive-through penalty, but the Brazilian rejected Hamilton’s claim afterwards that he had attempted to patch things up between them on the grid before the race.

Hamilton told reporters he had put his arm around Massa after the one-minute silence in memory of British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who died on successive weekends leading up to yesterday’s race, and wished his Ferrari rival luck.

Massa, though, said that Hamilton’s effort at reconciliation was insufficient and recalled a previous perceived snub from the Briton as proof that Hamilton was not interested in a serious reunion.

“No, he didn’t try,” Massa said. “When I tried to speak to him [after a clash in Singapore] he passed through. He didn’t look at my face.

Here after the minute’s silence he just said ‘have a good race’. This is trying to what? ‘Have a good race’ is not part of talking or whatever.” It is unclear what Hamilton made of Massa’s remarks since the 26 year-old left the circuit early on the advice of McLaren principal Martin Whitmarsh, without fulfilling all of his media commitments.

Simon Fuller, Hamilton’s manager, was also present in the McLaren motor home and was likely to have been consulted. But it was clear from Hamilton’s initial reaction that he is weary of the quarrel with Massa and desperately wants to put both it and the season behind him.

“Disappointed would be an understatement,” he said of a race in which he started fifth and then recovered from the Massa incident to finish seventh, five places below team-mate Jenson Button who now leads him by 38 points with two races remaining.

“We were clearly quick enough — Jenson did a great job. I just can’t apologise enough to my team for the negativity that surrounds me nowadays.” Hamilton cannot catch a break at the moment.

After his encouraging second in Korea last time out, he had arrived in India determined to put his recent woes behind him. He said his main goal was to put his high-profile split with American pop star Nicole Scherzinger out of his mind and stay “focused on business”.

Yet it was almost inevitable, from the moment he closed in on Massa’s Ferrari after 23 laps of yesterday’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix, that the pair would end up colliding. Their cars seem almost magnetically attracted to one another this year.

Hamilton has been far from blameless — earning two drive-through penalties to Massa’s one — but yesterday he was deeply unfortunate.

Attempting to pass Massa up the inside into turn five, he looked to have done enough only for the Brazilian to turn in on him. The stewards sided with Hamilton and awarded Massa a drive-through penalty, which the Ferrari driver felt was harsh.

Asked whether there was bad blood between himself and the Briton, Massa added: “Maybe for him. Because all the incidents are that he touched my car. I have nothing against him. Zero. Zero.” Hamilton also denied that he held any grudge, saying his major concern was cutting out the mistakes which are costing him, such as his failure to slow down under double yellow flags in practice, which resulted in him dropping from second to fifth on the grid.

“I should have been second on the grid and I wouldn’t have been anywhere near Felipe if that was the case,” he said. “But [as for Felipe] no, before the race, during the minute’s silence we were standing next to each other — and he hasn’t spoken to me for a long, long time — and I put my arm around him and wished him good luck for the race. He hasn’t spoken to me for months now, so I just wanted to quash whatever beef, or any anger he has towards me. I still have respect for him.”

Whitmarsh said the pair needed to sort it out between themselves.

“They’re young drivers but they’re not that young. They’re men. I have discussed it with Ferrari but I think it’s got to come from them. If I arranged for the two of them to shake hands outside the garage you would all take a picture and have a laugh about it.

“I think Felipe is under enormous pressure within that team and that causes him to react. And in truth Lewis will be feeling under pressure because of the great performance of Jenson at the moment.

“But a staged handshake... you don’t want that, unless it’s to take the mickey out of it. They’ve got to sort it out themselves.”

Massa and Hamilton's five collisions this season:

Monaco: The infamous race that ended with Hamilton doing his best Ali G impression, joking the stewards might have it in for him “because I’m black”. Hamilton had been given two drive-through penalties relating to incidents with Massa and Maldonado. He described them as "an absolute frickin' joke".

Silverstone: Entering the final lap at his home grand prix, Hamilton was running short of fuel and coming under severe pressure from Massa. The two cars touched as they went through the final corner, but despite losing part of his front wing Hamilton reached the line first. No penalties were meted out.

Singapore: This was as heated as it has got between the pair this year. They collided on lap 12, Hamilton earning a drive-through after giving Massa’s Ferrari a puncture. In the pen afterwards the Brazilian grabbed him by the shoulder and said, sarcastically, “Good job, man” to which Hamilton responded: “Don’t touch me, man”.

Japan: Hamilton apologised to Massa after the pair again touched on the final run to the chicane; the Briton claiming he could “not see” the Ferrari in his vibrating mirrors. "For what he says, I don't care,” responded Massa. “I care about what the FIA does. They have penalised people for much less this year.”

India: For the first time in 2011 Massa is deemed to be at fault for a collision with Hamilton, earning a drive-through after being adjudged to have turned in on the McLaren as they vied for fifth. “I didn't do anything wrong,” he protested. “He didn't give me any space,” was Hamilton’s verdict.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard facing the agony of lengthy injury lay-off due to an infected ankle

Gerrard had fluid drained from the ankle at a Liverpool hospital yesterday and the club are now awaiting to gauge the effect of that procedure.

There are fears, however, that the injury will force Gerrard out for a prolonged spell.

Confirmation of the recovery time is likely to arrive tomorrow, but there was a grim mood at Anfield as the captain received treatment.

Gerrard is understood to be distraught that what seemed to be an innocuous cut on his ankle, sustained in training last week, has developed into a potentially more serious problem.

The 31 year-old Liverpool stalwart has only recently returned to Premier League action after a six month absence due to an unrelated groin problem, and he was just regaining his full match fitness. He has endured a nightmarish few months, and is believed to be devastated at the prospect of a further prolonged absence.

This latest setback means Gerrard is certain to miss England's forthcoming friendlies with Spain and Sweden on Nov 12 and 15, games which manager Fabio Capello is using to assess his options for Euro 2012.

Liverpool were already eager for Gerrard to be used sparingly by the Italian due to his long absence from the previous injury, but Capello will now know there is no possibility the player will be available for selection.

That will be a source of immense frustration to Gerrard, who has not appeared for his country since the friendly defeat by France last November, but it is the injury’s impact on the player himself and Liverpool’s quest to regain a Champions League place which will be of greater concern for his club.

Much of the stress will be caused by the bewilderment about how and why the injury deteriorated so badly in the 24 hours before Liverpool’s 2-0 win at The Hawthorns.

Gerrard travelled with the rest of the Liverpool squad to the Midlands on Friday.

He was already in some discomfort due to the knock he sustained on the ankle, but it was anticipated it would heal quickly and he would be fit to face Roy Hodgson’s side.

Instead, it got worse and on Saturday morning it was clear he would not be fit for selection and Gerrard returned to Merseyside for treatment.

The latest setback has come in the midst of key period of the season.

Liverpool play Swansea in the Premier League next weekend and have high-profile fixtures with Chelsea and Manchester City following the international break, as well as a Carling Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Kenny Dalglish is as concerned as Gerrard to establish the full extent of the damage.

He had hoped on Saturday it would only be a minor knock and the player would be fit within a week.

“Steven has got an infection in his ankle. He was in our minds for the game, it just flared up,” explained Dalglish.

“It’s nothing to do with any injuries before, it’s an infection.

"I suppose it’s like having an abscess on your mouth.

"We can be more accurate next week than we can be just now.”

Any optimistic assessment of a swift return has certainly evaporated over the last 24 hours, however, and yesterday Gerrard was photographed leaving hospital on crutches.

By his own admission, it has been one of the most physically and emotionally stressful times of Gerrard’s career since he underwent groin surgery before the end of last season.

That operation cured a long-standing muscle injury which had forced Gerrard to consistently undergo pain killing injections in order to play.

His rehabilitation was further complicated by an infection which did not clear up properly, delaying his return this season by three months.

Gerrard said at the time he feared he may never return after that setback.

“There were times when I was as low as I’ve ever been as a footballer,” Gerrard said recently.

“I think it’s only natural that you have doubts and different things do cross your mind from time to time.”

Gerrard has made just five appearances this season, and marked his first start with a goal against Manchester United earlier this month.

He thought his luck had changed and he could look ahead to a successful campaign alongside Dalglish’s new signings, but he has barely been able to forge an on-field relationship with the recent acquisitions.

Indeed, Gerrard, Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll still have not started a fixture in the same line-up.

Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand name an unchanged side for final against France

The nation is jittery enough and not in the mood for alarms and late panics and there was neither as Graham Henry read out the names.

No changes to the starting XV and no late panics. Captain Richie McCaw has been struggling with an ankle problem, but wild horses won’t stop him for 80 minutes on Sunday - longer if required - against France.

In the only alteration from the squad that defeated Australia in the semi-finals, Adam Thomson has recovered from an ankle strain to take his place on the bench.

It's an experienced and predictable line-up boasting 708 caps for the All Blacks sixth World Cup meeting with the French and a repeat of the first ever World Cup Final in 1987, the only other time the competition has been staged in New Zealand.

“This is the biggest game of the players lives and there is obvious excitement and anticipation at what lies ahead,” said Henry as he unveiled his team. “To be playing in the final of the Rugby World Cup in front of out own crowd is going to be massive and a very special occasion for the team as wall as our fans.

"The support the team has received from New Zealanders throughout the country has been incredibly humbling and we know the public wil be right behind us on Sunday night.

"It's been a quiet week, the guys have prepared well, this is our 12th Test match in 14 weeks and I don't think that has ever happend before.

"It’s pretty demanding so we we have just had to make sure we dovetail our training. You can’t be overphysical in training and we haven't been. Quite a few of the boys know they have played 12 Test matches in the last three months.

"This French team, we are not sure who is going to turn up so we have got to prepare as if they are the best team in the world. They certainly have the players to be that. They are enjoying the underdogs tag, the media is doing a good job for them. They think they are not being considered for this final but we are not making that mistake.

"They are a very good team. Their forward pack is as good a pack as we will play in this tournament and they have backs who can hurt you.”

There was a brief debate over what to do with Sonny Bill Williams but Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu have always been nailed on as New Zealand’s big match centre pairing and despite his talent and firepower Williams has stuggled to get past the elegant Richard Kahui on the left wing.

There is in any case a strong suggestion that his most effective role is to add impetus coming off the bench.

Generally this side has been picking itself for a few games now which is exactly as it should be, barring injuries, when closing in on a World Cup.

Piri Weepu, very much a 50-50 selection before the World Cup, has nailed down a starting role at scrum-half and will again have the task of easing young Aaron Dagg through proceedings while taking care of the goalkicking. Such extra responsibility seems to have been the making of Weepu.

Essentially New Zealand show just two injury enforced changes from the team that beat France 37-17 in the pool match at Eden Park a month ago, with Aaron Cruden in for Dan Carter - who susequently ruptured a tendon in his groin - and Kieran Read, who has always been the preferred choice at No 8, now fully reintegrated into the back row since returning from an ankle injury.

Thomson played and indeed scored for the All Blacks against the French, although he has also experienced subsequent injury problems.

France, accused by some of picking an understrength team that night, have selected 11 players who started that match, while Nicolas Mas was unavailable and William Servat and Imanol Harinordoquy played a half each. These two side know each other very well indeed.

Meanwhile New Zealand can fall back on a stuning record at Eden Park, where they have claimed 26 consecutive wins in a run dating back 17 years.

The last time they failed to win there was in 1994 when they drew with the Spriingboks, having lost earlier that season to the French.

New Zealand: I Dagg (Hawkes Bay); C Jane, C Smith, M Nonu (all Wellington), R Kahui (Waikato); A Cruden (Waikato), P Weepu (Wellington); T Woodcock (North Harbour), K Mealamu (Auckland), O Franks, S Whitelock, B Thorn (all Canterbury), J Kaino (Auckland), R McCaw (Canterbury, capt), K Read (Canterbury).
Replacements: A Hore, B Franks, A Williams, A Thomson, A Ellis, S Donald, S B Williams.