Johnson must prove he can deliver – Steele

John Steele this week backed the current crop of players to carry the country's hopes into the next two World Cups but fell short of supporting the team manager to be the man to lead them.

Steele, who succeeded Sir Francis Baron as chief executive six weeks ago, wants England to lay down a marker for next autumn's World Cup when they play New Zealand, Australia and South Africa at Twickenham in November.

Speaking at Morley Rugby Club on the second leg of his nationwide fact-finding mission, Steele said: "What we want to know after the autumn internationals is 'can we compete with the best in the world'?

"You don't have to be No 1 in the world going into a World Cup to do well in it.

"But you need to be able to compete on your day with the best teams – and that's what we'll be interested in.

"There's been some very positive signs from the current squad; the win down in Australia was phenomenal, the first of its kind for a very long time.

"I've said all along my job is to support, as best I can, the players, make sure they have everything they need to do what they do."

Victory over the Wallabies in June was a rare bright spot in the often troubled two-year reign of Johnson.

The World Cup-winning captain of seven years ago has won only nine of 21 Tests in charge of England as the richest union in the world has floundered in its attempt to once again scale the heights of 2003.

They have slipped down the International Rugby Board rankings to sixth with that win in Sydney their sole victory over the three southern hemisphere heavyweights in eight attempts.

Steele is taking the long-term view that the 2015 World Cup here in England is the endgame for this current generation with his last five years spent as CEO of UK Sport in the run-up to the London Olympics teaching him the benefits of painting a broader picture.

Change for change's sake does not feature in his remit, but in looking to the future he stressed the importance of the current set of players without offering any backing to Johnson and his coaching staff.

"I think England have made a lot of changes over the last six years and there's a strong argument to ensure we have some stability and we get a chance to really develop," said Steele, who returns to rugby after a distinguished playing and coaching career with Northampton Saints, whom he led to Heineken Cup glory in 2000.

"The talent pathways in the Olympics, from talent identification to when an athlete stands on a podium, is about eight years.

"It takes time to develop both individual players and groups of players and I think we're on an upward trajectory with this group of players.

"There's not a lot that I can impact for 2011; there's a squad of players and we need to support their development and their preparations as best we can.

"But 2015, a home World Cup, is massively important for the game, not only for the England team.

"We need to ensure everyone in the game – players, coaches, referees – own a bit of 2015, that somehow when the tournament is finished the whole game is a bit richer because of it."

If he is true to his word, that could mean bowing to pressure from Leeds Carnegie chief executive Gary Hetherington to switch 2015 pool games scheduled for the Elland Road football stadium to the city's traditional home of rugby, Headingley Carnegie.

Hetherington met Steele yesterday to continue lobbying for a switch that he believes can help grow the sport in the county.

Selling a greater number of tickets is the reason why Elland Road and other football stadiums like St James' Park, St Mary's and Anfield were named in the bid document that helped secure the RFU the 2015 World Cup, but with Headingley undergoing a four-year redevelopment plan, Hetherington is confident the stadium can win the rights to host pool games.

The club are looking at redeveloping the south stand next year; a new pitch is to be laid and an interactive scoreboard to be introduced as well as improvements to the North Stand, and after meeting Steele yesterday, Hetherington said: "There's a general acceptance that Headingley Carnegie would make a perfect venue, particularly once our redevelopment programme is concluded.

"We have stressed to the RFU that taking World Cup games to Headingley Carnegie would be a big help to us in terms of raising the club's awareness in the region.

"Our four-year plan leads nicely into the World Cup and we also want to play a big role in the 2015 rugby league World Cup. Our aim is to be the home of rugby in the North."