Stories published today claimed that Sir Clive, currently the BOA director of elite performance, was set to return to the RFU fold as performance director for Martin Johnson's England team.

The RFU, whose new chief executive is John Steele, the former head of UK Sport, responded by taking the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny the reports that Sir Clive was set to return to Twickenham seven years after quitting.

"These [reports] are incorrect and are based on rumour and speculation, not fact," the RFU said.

"We continue to run the same open recruitment process for this role as we have for all the other senior roles at the RFU and candidates were invited to apply.

"We are pleased to say they did so and we have a strong shortlist who will go forward to the next stage but we will not comment on any individual people who may or may not have applied for the role as it remains a confidential process.

"We can say, as we recently confirmed, that we would expect to make an announcement by the end of May at the latest.

"We recognise that the media will continue to speculate but we are not in a position to disclose more details at the current time."

Colin Moynihan, the chairman of the BOA, also dismissed the reports that Sir Clive was about to leave his £300,000 ($496,000)-per year post just a year before the start of the London 2012 Olympics, where he is due to be one of the Deputy Chef de Missions of Britain's team.

"We have an outstanding management team at the BOA and it is no surprise they are in demand," he said.

"Clive is doing a great job in the run-up to the Olympic Games and will, I hope, stay with us.

"Reports about him returning to a role with the RFU are purely speculative.

"We can say, as we recently confirmed, that we would expect to make an announcement by the end of May at the latest.

"We recognise that the media will continue to speculate but we are not in a position to disclose more details at the current time."

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