INTERNATIONAL NEWS: THERE IS no single reason for England's bleak recent results but the English Rugby Football Union was told yesterday the number of overseas players in the Guinness Premiership is undermining the national side. Sean Fitzpatrick showed little mercy to English rugby as a player but the former All Black captain now believes his compatriots are partly to blame for Martin Johnson's current plight.

While Fitzpatrick is confident that, given time, Johnson will assemble a more competitive squad, he has advised the RFU to heed the clear message of this autumn's Tests.

"The Heineken Cup and the Premiership are some of the best competitions in the world but they're being enhanced by Southern Hemisphere players coming up here," he stressed. "Is that to the detriment of the quality of the national team? Maybe you have to start saying that it is.

"As a viewer, I think it's great. I enjoy watching Premiership rugby and taking my kids along. Five or 10 years ago you didn't see that sort of rugby or talent on show.

"But if I was an Englishman I'd have my doubts. I think it is causing issues over and above the betterment of the domestic game. The RFU needs to decide whether it wants the England team or the Premiership to be the number one product."

All Blacks coach Graham Henry shares Fitzpatricks theory ahead of Saturday's final tour game, although his view is inevitably influenced by a desire to keep more Kiwis at home. "It's denying English guys the chance to improve themselves," insisted Henry. "The best thing would be to stop all these Kiwis coming over. It would help English rugby immensely."

Last Saturday's two Premiership games at Northampton and Leicester were a good example of the increasing dilemma. The four starting fly-halves were Carlos Spencer, Butch James, Derick Hougaard and Nick Evans, all of them capped internationals, none of them English.

"We are bloody short where we used to be strong," said one England insider yesterday, highlighting the growing lack of depth at prop and lock. "Why is it? When you look at the Premiership almost everyone has imported at least one big boy from Tonga or Samoa, or wherever."

There is also concern at the highest level. "I think we've got to be honest and realistic and say: 'Yes, it has had an effect'," admitted Martyn Thomas, the RFU's management board chairman, hopeful the present 65 per cent ratio of English-qualified players in the Premiership will rise slowly as a result of financial incentives available from 2010.

"It has to be RFU policy to encourage a decrease in the number of foreign players because it is at the expense of English-qualified players. What we do not want is foreign players blocking English talent coming through."

Fitzpatrick is not optimistic about England's prospects on Saturday. "I'd expect the All Blacks to win by 10-15 points," he said. "When you've been beaten 42-6 it takes a little bit to get back up from that. From what I've seen the England scrum has struggled; that area is critical. You need guys who can carry the ball but you also need people to hit rucks.

"They're not producing good second-phase ball. But if I could have anyone leading England at the moment Martin would be the man. He needs to be a dictator and take pressure away from Steve Borthwick."