Andy Farrell says England coach Stuart Lancaster did a great job at Rugby World Cup

England’s defence coach Andy Farrell has dismissed suggestions that he had too much influence on team selection during the Rugby World Cup and gave forthright backing to his head coach Stuart Lancaster.

Amid the fallout from England’s pool stage exit has been the suggestion that Farrell championed the cause of fellow rugby league convert Sam Burgess, while questions have also been asked of his objectivity in the fly-half debate involving his son Owen, who was preferred to George Ford in England’s key games against Wales and Australia.

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"There are no players in the selection meetings," Farrell said on Monday after number eight Billy Vunipola was mentioned as the originator of the claim.

"The four of us as coaches get together and have discussions and ultimately Stuart makes the call and we all buy into that."

Farrell, a straight-talker in his dealings with the media, then appeared somewhat taken aback to be asked about his involvement in the selection of his son and dismissed the question with a curt "come on".

He was far more forthcoming on the future of Lancaster and his assistants in the wake of England’s first-ever pool-stage exit.

"We’ve lost two games and people will try to define us by those two games but what Stuart has built is more than that," he said.

"This whole campaign and the three and a half years of his leadership has been built on rock solid foundations. He has done marvellous things for this country and this rugby team and I thank him.