Martin Johnson resigns: Nick Mallett rules himself out of the running for England managerial role

Mallett revealed he was contacted by the RFU earlier this week to inquire about his availability for the job, suggesting he was the governing body’s first choice to replace Johnson, who resigned from his position yesterday following England's dreadful World Cup campaign, which was marred by off-field controversies.

English-born Mallett, 55, is out of contract having completed a successful four-year spell with Italy.

But just hours after Johnson ended his three-and-a-half year tenure by announcing his resignation at a press conference at Twickenham, Mallett informed Telegraph Sport that he was ruling himself out of contention.

The decision of Mallett, who was approached for the England job in 2006 following the sacking of Andy Robinson and before Brian Ashton was appointed, could be seen as a set-back and leaves Northampton’s director of rugby Jim Mallinder as the overwhelming favourite for the job.

“I would like to lay to rest the speculation linking me to the now-vacant England Rugby coaching position,” said Mallett, who coached the Springboks to a record run of 17 successive victories during his tenure between 1997 and 2000, including the defeat of England in the quarter-finals of the 1999 World Cup at the Stade de France.

 “The RFU contacted me earlier this week to enquire about my availability for the position, should Martin Johnson resign.

“I had previously expressed my interest in the position publicly and was interested to hear what RFU representatives had to say. After mulling it over for a few days and discussing the opportunity with close friends and family, I have decided that I will not be making myself available for the position and I have disclosed this to the RFU.

“My primary concern is my family — I am happy to have returned home to South Africa after a tremendous four-year term with the Italian national team.

“We are settled in Cape Town and it is my wish to be able to enjoy time with my wife and kids after four years in Italy.

“I thank the RFU for making their interest known to me. The job of England coach is one of the most prestigious in world rugby and I wish them all the best in their quest for the best possible man for the job.”

While Mallett pointed to family reasons as the primary motive behind his decision to withdraw, it is clear that the turmoil at the top of the RFU following the sacking of John Steele as chief executive, has also been a significant influence.

In an interview last week Mallett hinted at criticism of Rob Andrew, the current director of elite rugby who is due to produce a report on England’s World Cup campaign to the professional game board today.

“It’s not only the performance of the team on the field that needs freshening up, it also the performance of the guys off the pitch,” Mallett said. “There is a lot to do and it’s a real challenge.

“But first of all you have to sort out what’s happening at the Union and who you phone to pitch for the job. I don’t know who that person would be in the England set-up.

“In 2006 I was asked to apply for the head coach job with England and I had my views on the director-of-rugby role at the RFU.

“My view is fairly simple; the head coach should answer to the management board, not to a director of rugby who may have less experience.”