England's rugby stars signed a document confirming they understood rugby’s 'no-betting' regulations before the Rob Howley scandal blew up.
Scrum coach Neal Hatley revealed the squad’s shock last night that Wales legend Howley could have fallen foul of such strict rules.
He told how the squad sat through a presentation given by World Rugby's integrity unit then had to confirm they fully understood the protocol.
“We had every person - players and management - in the room and were told what is expected and what is not accepted,” said Hatley.
“It couldn’t be any clearer for us as a group. And just to be sure a document goes around that gets signed to say you’ve heard and understood everything.”
During the 20-minute sit-down Eddie Jones’ players, who had already been warned of the perils of gambling before leaving for Japan, were instructed to switch their phones off an hour before matches to guard against being targeted for information.
It is understood there were six cases of players or staff being approached during the 2015 World Cup.
They were also reminded of the case of former Leicester defence coach Phil Blake, banned for six months in 2015 for placing eight separate bets on two Tigers games while he was coaching at the club.
“What’s happened (with Howley) is a warning for everyone at the tournament," Hatley added. "A real live reminder.”
England flew from Miyazaki yesterday to Sapporo, where they play Tonga in their opening game on Sunday.
Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell are the only players unavailable though both took some part in training.
