ER2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans has recruited one of her former LOCOG colleagues in the form of Neil Snowball © PA Photos

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England Rugby 2015 (ER2015) has announced a re-structuring of their senior management including the appointment of former London 2012 head of sport Neil Snowball as the World Cup organiser's new rugby operations director.

ER2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans, who helped orchestrated the London 2012 in her previous role as director of sport for the Olympics organising committee, has re-shaped the organisation responsible for delivering the 2015 Rugby World Cup by dividing it into two departments - rugby operations and business operations.

The biggest casualty of the restructuring is Ross Young, the chief operating officer who has helped deliver the last three Rugby World Cups with role now redundant. Youngs has left with immediate effect along with marketing and communications general manager, Jon Duckworth. A Communications & Marketing Director is expected to be appointed in January.

Jevans said: "The Rugby World Cup draw on December 3 marked a step-change for ER2015, from a planning to an operational phase. ER2015 needs a structure that reflects that change and ensures more direct focus on the delivery of the tournament, clearer reporting lines and accountability, and better defined business operations that reflect our changing priorities.

"Neil Snowball did a fantastic job as head of sport operations for LOCOG and he was responsible for the sporting operational framework which delivered the Games. He managed a multi-million pound budget and oversaw the delivery around venues, training bases, team liaison and all of the logistics that support such a huge undertaking."

Snowball's arrival continues the overhaul of ER2015 leadership, which began when Andrew Coslett replaced Martyn Thomas as chairman, initially on an interim basis, last year. Since then, Jevans has been brought in from LOCOG to replace Paul Vaughan as chief executive.

Rugby Operations will oversee the staging of the 48 match tournament and has five areas of responsibility: Rugby Services; Venue Operations; Tournament Services; City Operations; and Tournament Technology.

The Business Operations Department will encompass five strands: Ticketing & Commercial; Communications & Marketing; Finance; HR & Volunteering; and Legal. Each of the heads of the five business units will report directly into the Chief Executive.