Troubled England squad back home - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Troubled England squad back home

The England squad arrived back in Britain on Monday after a tour of New Zealand which made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Two crushing defeats by the All Blacks were overshadowed by allegations of serious sexual assault against four players. The squad, bodies battered from Saturday's 44-12 drubbing in Christchurch, landed at Heathrow Airport at 11.35am.

Rob Andrew, the Rugby Football Union's director of elite rugby, said: "We are pleased to be back." Asked if the tour was "a bit of a nightmare all round", he said: "Look, we have got to wait and see what happens. We are still part of an on-going police inquiry. As far as the players are concerned, we have to support them in this."

He said lawyers had advised him not to name the four players involved in the alleged incident.

New Zealand police said they were investigating after an 18-year-old woman made claims of sexual assault or rape against four England players.

But in the absence of an official complaint from the woman, the four were free to leave the country.

The incident allegedly took place at the team hotel in Auckland on the night after the first Test, which the All Blacks won 37-20.

The players refused to speak to detectives after taking legal advice but vigorously denied the allegations.

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