Official: Johnson's in and Ashton's out

It is now up to Ashton to decide if he can accept a demotion to a job he held previously or walk away from the Rugby Football Union.

Johnson, England's 2003 World Cup winning captain, was appointed by the RFU management board on the recommendations of Rob Andrew, the elite rugby director, who has masterminded the climax to Ashton's reign as head coach which started in January last year.

Ashton has been shabbily treated by the RFU in the eyes of many within the game after taking England to the World Cup Final and second place in the Six Nations.

He was also twice backed by Andrew after wide-ranging reviews of his performances.

However, the management board's desire for a new start with Johnson in charge has seen the axe wielded leaving Ashton with two choices: to accept the very public demotion or battle for compensation with the help of his lawyer. The management board's statement revealed today:

Johnson will be team manager from 1 July.
Ashton will be offered the post of head coach of the National Academy.
Forwards coach John Wells and defence coach Mike Ford to retain their jobs under Johnson.
Andrew to act as team manager for the summer two-Test tour of New Zealand.
Johnson to appoint a new backs coach.

The former Leicester captain cannot start his job until July because his wife is expecting their second child and this has forced Andrew to take the acting manager's position.

With Ashton out of the way, England were without a leader for the tour to New Zealand - highlighting the trouble the RFU got themselves into over Ashton.

Johnson, who has never held a coaching or managerial role in rugby, said: "This is a great honour. I'm passionate about the England team and delivering success for it. While I cannot take up my position until 1 July I'll be working with Rob and the England management to select the team to face the Barbarians for the New Zealand tour as well as selecting the elite player squad 32 under the new agreement with the clubs."

With Johnson installed, the focus now falls on Andrew and his handling of what many consider to be a public relations disaster.

Andrew did not keep Ashton informed about developments and left the head coach out to dry.

He told Ashton about his fate yesterday afternoon and appeared to dress up the job offer today by describing it as a 'senior position'.

Andrew said: "I'd like to thank Brian for a very good job that he did in difficult circumstances."