STUART Lancaster is a “very honourable man with great integrity” and will bounce back from his exit as England’s head coach.

That’s the view from Worcester Warriors’ head coach Carl Hogg, a personal friend of Lancaster’s since their playing days for Scotland Under 19s.

Lancaster left his post as England coach following the team's early exit from the World Cup.

Hogg said: “I know Stuart very well because he’s a friend of mine. I played alongside him and I have coached alongside him.

“I keep in regular contact with Stuart and I played with him at Scotland Under 19s and Scotland Students and I coached with him at Leeds Academy - he’s somebody I know very well.

“It’s disappointing but it’s the nature of what we do. It’s a result-orientated industry. I am just extremely disappointed for Stuart. He’s a normal man and a hardworking bloke and it’s disappointing for somebody to lose their job.”

England became the first host nation to be eliminated in the group stages when they lost matches to Wales and Australia in Pool A.

A review into England performance at the World Cup took place after the tournament.

Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie said Lancaster agreed he should step down from his role Hogg said: “I think Stuart had put a lot of things in place.

“He had changed the culture of that England group and put a lot of things in place off the field as well as on the field.

“Ultimately when you don’t qualifying (from the pool) in a home World Cup, there’s going to be pressure.

“Things are sitting the background and we are trying to achieve a similar philosophy here.

“We are trying to change the culture of the group.

“We have got some great senior players now and we have got a young group that grows and takes time and has to flourish over a period of time.

“International rugby is all about pressure and if don’t get results then there’s consequences which follow.”

Lancaster, 46, was made permanent coach in 2012 and won 28 of his 46 games in charge of England, but failed to win the Six Nations.

Hogg added: “Stuart was aware of the consequences of not getting out of the pool stages. He’s a very honourable man with great integrity and I am sure Stuart will bounce back.”