Beaumont: I would have walked over broken glass

The big guns of rugby were rolled out last night as the war over pay broke out at Twickenham.

Generally the giants of the English game were heavily critical of the players' actions. Bill Beaumont, former Grand Slam captain and BBC Question of Sport personality, who captained England 21 times, said: 'There are thousands of rugby fans out there who would do anything to play for England. What will they think of this?

'I was staggered when I heard about the strike - it should be an honour to play for your country. I would have walked over broken glass to represent England.' Beaumont insists manager Clive Woodward did the right thing when he expelled the players from the team hotel. 'It was the correct thing to do,' he said. 'I'm astonished that top internationals are threatening to withdraw and I hope they realise what they have done.' Another of the sport's elder statesmen, Club England chairman Fran Cotton, said: 'Playing for your country should be regarded as the pinnacle of a player's career.

'A lot of people would play for nothing, and though that isn't realistic in the professional era, what has been offered is very generous. I'm shocked that the players are potentially putting their England careers at risk with this decision.' Ex-England prop Jeff Probyn, 44, who won 37 caps, said: 'I'm sure the players have a point but they should not compare themselves to footballers. 'There are more people at a Premiership football match on a Saturday than watch the whole of the Zurich Premiership. They have to accept that this deal will make them the highest-paid international rugby players in the world.

'This is not the best of times to be doing it with an international against Argentina in a few days' time and a massive game against South Africa a week after that.' But Brian Moore, who partnered Probyn in England's front row in the 1991 World Cup Final, spoke out in support of the players.

He said: 'I played in an era when they stopped us earning any money but if I was captain the players would be out on strike. It should all have been sorted out 10 years ago. Now is not the time to be talking about it.'