Former Wakefield teacher Stuart Lancaster steps down as England head coach

His side became the first host nation to be eliminated in the group stage of the tournament after they lost matches to Wales and Australia.

The former Kettlethorpe High School PE teacher said he was “extremely saddened” to be leaving the role he took on in April 2012.

He said: “As I have always said, I ultimately accept and take responsibility for the team’s performance and we have not delivered the results we all hoped for during this tournament.

“I did, however, want to take part in the review to ensure I understood the views of others before making a decision.

“The reality is that, while many aspects of the review were very positive, we didn’t achieve success on the field when it mattered and we all have to take responsibility for that but me especially as head coach.”