Johnson urged to get tough: England are told to stop the partying

England manager Martin Johnson is being urged to take tough action over the findings of the RFU's inquiry into the nocturnal activities of the Auckland Four.

His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett, author of the 11-page document in his capacity as the Union's disciplinary officer, is calling for a ban to be imposed on England players 'bringing unknown guests back to team hotels without management approval'.

He is also recommending the new regime sets a limit on the amount of alcohol a player may drink and to clarify 'limits of post-match entertainment'.

Tough call: Martin Johnson

The fining of Mike Brown and Topsy Ojo for staying out all night after England's thrashing by the All Blacks is reinforced by a plea to Johnson from Blackett, spelling out the need for his recommendations to be considered 'very seriously'.

Blackett said: 'There is clearly a need for a tighter rein on players when they are on England duty and they all need to be given clear guidelines about the limits of acceptable behaviour.

'This is most important in relation to very young players who do not yet have the life skills to cope with sudden stardom. As a very minimum, a future code of conduct should warn players to avoid potentially compromising situations which may become public and thus bring discredit on the players and the game.'

Twickenham's two-week investigation into what went on at the team's hotel last month cleared all four of allegations of rape made by an unnamed 18-year-old waitress whom the players met in a nightclub.

Brown and Ojo admitted to taking the woman back to their hotel 'sometime after 7am' but acquaintance during a rugby tour will now become a matter for the tour management in the knowledge that such activity will end up in the tabloid press.

'It has been said that this sort of activity has occurred on rugby tours from time immemorial. However, players must constantly remind themselves that they now have high public profiles and there will be those who will seek stories about their personal lives.

'On this tour there was no prohibition on taking unknown female guests back although one was put in place before the second Test. In my view that prohibition should now be part of any new code of conduct.

'Without any credible and tested evidence of serious wrongdoing it is impossible to gainsay the players' accounts. This case has thus boiled down to no more than errors of judgment by young players on their first or second major tours, insufficient in themselves to affect future England selection.

'No doubt in the past England players on tour have stayed out too late, drunk excessive alcohol, invited guests back, missed physiotherapy appointments or training the next morning.

'Such activity is now inconsistent with the life of an elite professional rugby player and with membership of a team seeking to be the best in the world. I am confident that lessons have been learnt.

'However, the RFU must ensure that these lessons do not have to be re-learnt by every generation of new players who will increasingly become part of the celebrity culture and have to live with the pitfalls which accompany such a lifestyle.'

The inquiry names three of the four who had been wanted for questioning by New Zealand police - Brown, Ojo and Danny Care, the Harlequins scrum half, who has been found 'not guilty of misconduct'.

David Strettle, victim of a kiss-and-tell story by a woman not involved in the rape allegation, was also cleared of misconduct but warned not to put himself into 'any compromising situations'.

'Strettle was not on the list the police wished to interview,' Blackett reported. 'These were Care, Ojo, Brown and one other whom I do not intend to name. His name was picked up by police simply because he was near to where relevant events occurred. They wanted to establish whether he saw or heard anything.'

Keeping his promise that nothing would be swept under the carpet, Blackett gives a detailed background into what happened when Brown and Ojo left The Spy bar with a security guard and the unnamed woman at about 7am.

'She went to Brown's room and was there alone with him,' the report says. 'At about 8.35am Brown attended a physio appointment and while he was there, Ojo, who had gone to the room to ensure Brown went to see the physio, was there in the room alone with the complainant.

'Very soon thereafter a door which was unlocked and interconnected with the next room opened and Strettle and Care, looked into the room and reminded Ojo they were supposed to be in the hotel foyer at 9am for their pool rehabilitation session. Strettle and Care said they were at the door for no more than a few seconds.'

The report also gives a slightly different version of how the two entered the room.

'They banged on the door and when they went into the room they observed Ojo and the complainant. They stood at the door for a few seconds and then closed it and left. Both said there was no element of voyeurism and (that they) were actually quite embarrassed.'

Blackett said the woman was seen 'by a number of players when she left. They described her as not being at all distressed but a little embarrassed'.

The four were interviewed by Blackett for a second time after an Auckland law firm acting for the woman made public a letter in which she repeated the allegation she had been 'sexually violated' by four players.

All four, appeared 'honest and truthful in their accounts',

Blackett said. He was satisfied on the evidence before him to conclude 'there is insufficient credible evidence of any illegal activity between any of those players and the complainant which would enable me to conclude that what she says occurred actually happened'.