Tigers boss Richard Cockerill is concerned by the part-time promotion of Saracens assistant coach Andy Farrell into the England coaching team © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Richard Cockerill | Andy Farrell

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Leicester Tigers | Saracens

Leicester boss Richard Cockerill believes the decision to hand Saracens first team coach Andy Farrell a role in England's interim coaching team for the Six Nations has created a conflict of interest.

Farrell was unveiled as part of head coach Stuart Lancaster's support staff, alongside former Leicester stalwart Graham Rowntree, earlier this month but Cockerill has revealed that the other 11 Aviva Premiership clubs were not consulted about the potentially controversial appointment.

The Tigers' director of rugby insists he has no personal issue with Farrell but pointed out that his new role gives him privileged access to the country's leading players such as Chris Ashton, who is being linked with a move to Saracens from Northampton next year. Farrell's role is a temporary measure with a permanent coaching team set to be appointed before England tour South Africa in June next year.

"Clearly there's a conflict there," Cockerill told The Guardian. "Chris Ashton gets to work with the Saracens head coach for eight weeks. The clubs weren't consulted about that. He [Farrell] is a quality coach; a really good bloke [but] we don't know the parameters of what he is doing or not doing. remier Rugby and the Rugby Football Union need at least to clarify the situation on what Farrell does."

Premiership Rugby was not available for comment while Cockerill is due to meet England's Lancaster next week. "He's in charge of all selection, I'm not going to tell him who to pick," said Cockerill. "I won't be helping Stuart pick his team, that's up to Stuart and Graham Rowntree. Stuart has his own ethos on the game. I need to find out what that is exactly and what he wants from our players. I'll be as honest and forthright as I've always been, whoever's in charge."