Former England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, has given a pointed response to the critical remarks made by Rob Andrew in the extracts from The Game of My Life serialised in The Telegraph.

Andrew, Lancaster’s one-time colleague at the Rugby Football Union, was scathing in his assessment of the 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign, particularly the decision to fast-track rugby league player Sam Burgess into the England squad.

In Andrew’s eyes this was "an almighty blunder ... An error of judgment … massively unsettling and enormously costly". Andrew’s comments came as a surprise to Lancaster, who said on Monday night: “Everybody’s entitled to an opinion, Rob has given his and that’s his right. You learn a lot about yourself as a national team coach and you learn a lot about other people as well. I didn’t see this coming, I wasn’t aware that anything was being written.

“When you take the responsibility, you’re accountable when it doesn’t go well. I think I did that from the start and I will continue to do that. I coached over 50 international games which I think puts me second-most or around there. You go through good times, you have great wins and great moments. You go through tough times as well. I’ve got my thoughts [on the Sam Burgess saga] and I’ll keep them to myself for the time being. I don’t think it will do anyone any good by going back all over that now.”