Brian Ashton is the great lost prophet of English rugby. Even at 71, the man who coached the two of the greatest attacks of the modern era, the all-conquering Bath side of the 1990s and the 2000-2002 England team, still fizzes with ideas and innovations, all captured in his trusty blue lever arch file.

“I saw an interview with Bob Dylan after he won the Nobel Prize where he says I am still becoming a songwriter,” Ashton said. “I feel the same. I am still becoming a coach. I still have really good ideas on how to play the game.”

He also remains the last coach to take England to a World Cup final, the ten year anniversary of which is on Friday. And yet all this knowledge and experience has been lost to English rugby. Instead, Ashton focuses his still considerable energy on mentoring young coaches in other sports, primarily in the Manchester United academy.

The contrast with how fiercely New Zealand protect what they term their intellectual property is considerable. When Wayne Smith, with whom Ashton shares a very similar outlook, resigned after two years as New Zealand head coach in 2001, the All Blacks quickly returned him to the fold.