"The World Cup party was great, " he said, "but the hangover lasted much longer than it should have done."

As the Rugby Football Union's first Elite Director he will have more fingers in more pies than Mr Kipling and changing the national team is top of his priority.

There were veiled attacks on Clive Woodward and Andy Robinson and an undisguised warning to the players.

"The year after the World Cup nothing happened and England went nowhere, " Andrew said of Woodward's lost 12 months. As for Robinson he had made some errors in selection but as Woodward's successor he had been "left holding the baby".

"My first job, " Andrew said, "is to help Andy. As head coach he needs and deserves more support. He's had to pick up the damaged pieces."

He stopped short of saying Robinson needs all the help he can get. Since the last World Cup they have won six out of 21 Tests against the major countries and dropped from first to sixth in the world rankings.

Less than 12 months to England's defence of the trophy (it is difficult to reconcile them with the title of world champions) it is the members of the Elite Player Squad who should be worrying about their international futures. "Too many people have played for England in the last couple of years some of whom haven't been good enough, " Andrew declared.

"Although a lot of players have retired or been injured, others haven't performed very well. I'm starting with a clean slate and people will really have to start sticking their hands up. I haven't seen that over the last couple of years. Some players have been living off their reputations. The whole system needs to be looked at."

Andrew, who pipped Woodward to the supremo's role, has only just got his feet under table at Twickenham but has already identified core weaknesses. "The world game has moved on considerably since 2003 and clearly England haven't. We need a change of direction and we need it pretty quickly.

"New Zealand has emerged as an outstanding rugby playing team with all round footballing ability. England have a good defence and a good setpiece and we've always had a pack to win possession but the question is what do we do with the ball? Basically we need a shift to more decision-making and skill, putting players into space."

When England won the World Cup the consensus was that they did so on the back of the strength and fitness levels of the Premiership. The impression now is that it produces backs whose first instinct is to run into a brick wall rather than create a window of opportunity.

Andrew, who was England's blue eyed out-half and chief points gatherer before the emergence of Jonny Wilkinson, said he was inheriting a "fantastic coaching team". The five men will have a say in team selection with Robinson having the last word. Given Robinson's track record on selection this doesn't make sense. In any case the buck is supposed to stop with the elite director of rugby.

At the end of April, when he was in charge at Newcastle and Wilkinson was making his latest comeback, Andrew said that the out-half would go to Australia with England over his dead body.

Last Thursday Andrew was saying Wilkinson needed all the rugby he could get. "If Jonny can come through a couple of months unscathed it would be a great bonus for everybody in England."

Andrew says he has three or four captains in mind.

"What I need is 30 men demanding selection to the England team. By the end of the autumn I should have a clearer picture of the squad."

The relationship between Andrews and Robinson is, "very strong". "Andy is the head coach full stop and as far as I am concerned he will be in the job for the World Cup.

We played in the same England team and there are no issues between us. Everything was put behind us two years ago."

Andrew, sniper turned bulletproof vest, has been one of the RFU's loudest critics and in the last two seasons he roasted Robinson for the way he treated Newcastle's Matthew Tait and Jamie Noon . At the time Robinson laughed it off. "Rob talks a lot doesn't he?"