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The 2003 winners’ failure to advance beyond the group stage for the first time left a “sense of deep disappointment”, Ritchie said.

World Cup hosts England face Uruguay in Manchester on Saturday in their final Pool A fixture, but are already condemned to an early exit.

England’s last Pool A game against Uruguay in Manchester next weekend has turned into an encore, and for all intents and purposes the host has been kicked out of its own party, the biggest and potentially best Rugby World Cup.

LONDON – England rugby bosses insisted on Sunday there would be no “hasty reaction” as to coach Stuart Lancaster’s future after the team’s World Cup exit at the hands of Australia.

“World Rugby is investigating an alleged breach by the England coaching team of the match-day communications protocol between match officials and team members or union officials”, said a World Rugby statement.

The tournament hosts can not reach the last eight from Pool A after Australia applied the killer blow with Saturday’s 33-13 win at Twickenham, a week after Wales had drawn first blood with their momentous victory over England.

The immediate inquest into England’s failure to survive the pool stage of their own World Cup threw up a thousand questions about Stuart Lancaster’s future as head coach that were never likely to be answered.

Lancaster has a contract until 2020, but when he was asked whether he would now be considering his position he replied: “Yeah, obviously I think I’ve got to”.

Cheika, meanwhile, said he was preparing for a meeting with “Master” Gatland.

England will not rush into any hasty decisions over the future of head coach Stuart Lancaster after making their Rugby World Cup exit at the pool stage, Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Ian Ritchie said on Sunday.

“I’m extremely proud of our team for the effort and the hard work that went into the game”, he told reporters.

When asked if his entire time with England hangs on this week, Lancaster said: “I think that’s fair to say”.