Brian Ashton will be axed in England shake-up

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It is understood RFU chiefs - who will also name Martin Johnson as team manager tomorrow - have decided to remove Ashton to allow the former World Cup-winning captain to appoint his own coaches.

Ashton is believed to have only discovered about tomorrow's management board meeting from a television sports bulletin. The 61-year-old has not seen the job specification for the team manager despite assurances from RFU elite rugby director Rob Andrew that he would be consulted about the appointment.

All the RFU council members received an e-mail yesterday from Martyn Thomas, the RFU chairman, informing them of the proposed statement following tomorrow's meeting on a new team manager, but the England head coach was not included.

Ashton could be given the opportunity to become head of the National Academy in Bath - near his home - where he previously masterminded the careers of a host of players including London Wasps trio Danny Cipriani, James Haskell and Tom Rees. This would be a major step down for Ashton - one he may feel unable to take - as he guided England into the 2007 World Cup Final and second in this season's Six Nations.

Any changes to the management team will lead to expensive pay-offs plus the need to bring in new people on large salaries, which could cause problems within the RFU. Their budgets are no longer able to deal with the kind of spending instigated by Sir Clive Woodward during his tenure which saw him splash out £40million during the seven years that included the 2003 World Cup triumph.