Andy Robinson's departure from Twickenham is set to be confirmed today despite a stay of execution last night. The England Rugby Football Union (RFU) have revealed the head coach will no longer be attending a three-day World Cup meeting in France this week, a clear sign his unsuccessful reign is over.

While there was no RFU statement yesterday, the 42-year-old Robinson has failed to convince his bosses to keep faith with him following a dismal run of autumn results. A record of 13 defeats in 22 Tests since he took over from Clive Woodward two years ago made his departure inevitable.

Only the precise terms under which Robinson will leave his post remain to be finalised following a series of meetings which began at 10am yesterday. The former Bath flanker has steadfastly refused to resign, but even his supporters within the RFU regarded Saturday's 25-14 defeat by South Africa as the final straw.

England's fans lost faith some time ago in Robinson's ability to rise above the problems inherent within his country's domestic structure. He barely survived a cull last April, when his assistant coaches went, and was criticised for a number of strange selectorial decisions.

Robinson will be best remembered for his coaching role in the 2003 World Cup triumph under Woodward, but he inherited an ageing side and proved unable to halt England's decline. Long-term injuries and retirements to key players complicated his plans. The team have lost eight of their last nine Tests and have slipped to seventh in the world rankings.

England have nine months and 10 Tests to stitch together a credible defence of the Webb Ellis Trophy. The existing assistant coaching team of Brian Ashton, John Wells and Mike Ford have been in their jobs only since May, and the RFU must decide whether Rob Andrew, its elite rugby director, should assume a more hands-on role.

Big names from overseas such as Warren Gatland, Nick Mallett and Eddie Jones will cost a lot of money, and successful English club coaches such as Richard Hill of Bristol and Gloucester's Dean Ryan may prefer to bide their time. England's World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson and Harlequins' director of rugby Dean Richards are also among the contenders.

There was a good reason for the lack of a prompt public statement from the RFU yesterday. If it were simply a matter of agreeing Robinson's pay-off and dotting the i and crossing the t's in the phrase "costly mistake", the dirty deed would have been done by lunchtime. The hard part is deciding what on earth to do next.

A blank sheet of paper, for a start, is not an option. The RFU already have an elite rugby director and three full-time senior coaches on the payroll, all hired within the past seven months.

The key question, therefore, is how the RFU wish to shuffle their existing personnel. Andrew has made it clear he has no desire to descend from his lofty administrative perch.