By Gavin Mortimer
England have moved north to prepare for Saturday's game against Uruguay in Manchester but their reputation continues to slide south. Just 48 hours before the hosts finish their disastrous World Cup campaign in a meaningless match against the minnows of South America, another unseemly row is splashed all over the papers.
On Wednesday, it was the story of a training ground bust-up between fly-half Danny Cipriani and backs' coach Mike Catt that filled the back pages, a confrontation that occurred before the start of the tournament and which caused the players to take the side of their teammate.
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Now comes news of another playground spat between flanker James Haskell and one of his predecessors in the England back-row, Neil Back.
Back was a member of the England World Cup-winning team of 2003, and is recognised as one of the greatest players to wear the white number seven shirt. Haskell, who has won over 60 caps, isn't in the same league as Back as a player, but he gave as good as he got in a furious Twitter row on Wednesday.
The flashpoint was an interview Haskell gave about Saturday's clash with Uruguay, which will be his first start in the World Cup. The 30-year-old, who is dating celebrity Chloe Madeley, has a reputation for self-promotion, and was told by Back on Twitter: "Don't take your selfie stick out onto the pitch before the game like you did against @fijirugby on 18th Sept."
Back's advice was a reference to England's opening game of the World Cup, a narrow win over Fiji at Twickenham. If there was any humour intended in the message it was lost on Haskell, who responded in furious fashion. "I wasn't even playing! You're so old & out of touch your eyes don't work. I hope ur book sales go better than your coaching. Explain how me recording a once in a lifetime event detrimental. You were one of my childhood heroes, yet your general negativity towards myself & the team is appalling."
Continuing his attack on Back releasing a book - The Death of Rugby - in the lead-up to the World Cup, Haskell blasted: "You talk about my self promotion yet u have released a sensationalist book just to make cash. Thats all i have to say on this. Rule No1 never meet your heroes."
Back was clearly taken aback by the sustained attack, and after insisting that the book "is not to make cash", said he didn't wish to "fall out" with Haskell and would send him a private message on Twitter.
Haskell, for his part, then deleted his tweets, perhaps cognisant of the RFU's strict pre-tournament guidelines on the use of social media. However, some record of the spat remained.
As The Times comments, the tone of Haskell's outburst "reveals some of the tension that exists" after England's World Cup elimination following successive defeats to Wales and Australia. Not that Haskell has played much of a role. Having been a regular in England's 2015 Six Nations campaign, his total game time in the World Cup is 15 minutes off the bench against Wales.
An RFU spokesman told the Times that Haskell would not be punished for his rant. It's fair to say that English rugby has more pressing concerns right now than a player throwing his toys out of his Twitter pram.
