LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO has become the first England player to criticise openly what he sees as the shambles of the national team’s World Cup build-up and, until their late revival, the campaign in France itself.

The veteran No 8, who ranks as one of the most authoritative figures in English rugby, likens the preparation of the world champions to that of a “pub team” and claims that their late surge came as much as anything from a siege mentality that had developed among the players.

He is also critical of the lack of bite and authority of Brian Ashton, the head coach, and questions whether he has the leadership ability to succeed in the role. “Head coach of the England team demands management skills that Brian does not have,” he said.

In his forthcoming book, It’s In The Blood: My Life, which is serialised in The Sunday Times today, Dallaglio attacks many aspects of the World Cup campaign, including what he claims was a complete lack of a clear playing strategy. He reveals the clashing philosophies and intrigue among the main coaching panel of Ashton, forwards coach John Wells and defence coach Mike Ford.

“We had a head coach who wanted one thing, other coaches who wanted other things,” he said. “The players hadn’t a clue what was going on.”

According to Dallaglio, during one heated meeting after England’s 36-0 defeat by South Africa in a pool game, the players were so frustrated at what they saw as the lack of a strategy that Olly Barkley, long close to Ashton, said: “Look Brian, nobody’s got a f****** clue how we are supposed to be playing here. If you asked the 15 players who played against South Africa to write down the game plan, you’d get 15 different answers.”

In the week since England’s 15-6 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup final, several players have criticised the team’s preparations anonymously, but Dallaglio is the first to put his head above the parapet.

He reveals that within days of the final in Paris each squad member had received a comprehensive questionnaire to complete on the whole World Cup experience with an accompanying note saying that replies could be left unsigned. Unsurprisingly, Dallaglio gave up his anonymity. “The first thing I did was to write my name on the top of the form,” he said.

Sir Clive Woodward, coach of the 2003 World Cup winners, has also joined the chorus of criticism. Woodward praised Ashton’s coaching ability but was disparaging about his ability as the squad supremo. Further heavy criticism of Ashton is believed to be included in a book by Mike Catt, long an Ashton confidant, but who has been left disgruntled by the whole experience.

Dallaglio acknowledges that Ashton was attempting to set England free from programmed rugby and to get the players to think on their feet. But he feels that Ashton went too far. “It seemed that the difficulty lay in whether he is comfortable in the role of overall boss,” he said.

He also believes that the superb wins over Australia and France sprang from sheer adversity. “Our achievement in getting to the World Cup final may have been because we were at such a low ebb. This has been a group of people who have been through s***,” said Dallaglio.