Graham Rowntree has sent a strong and impassioned message to the Rugby Football Union's chief executive Ian Ritchie that Stuart Lancaster must be appointed England's full-time head coach.

Speaking in a room just one floor below Ritchie's office in Twickenham's south stand, Rowntree, the forwards coach, credited Lancaster with dragging English rugby "out of the gutter" during his reign as interim head coach.

The RFU are due to interview their short-listed candidates for the job of Martin Johnson's permanent successor in the coming days, with Nick Mallett thought to also be a leading contender.

But Rowntree wants Lancaster to stay in charge and for the RFU to recruit Andy Farrell, his other lieutenant, from Saracens on a permanent basis.

"Stuart has dragged us out of the gutter," Rowntree said. "We had failed [in New Zealand], the whole leaked reports business was messy. That was only a matter of weeks ago but we have come light years in that time.

"You can't argue with what he has done with this group culturally and performance-wise. You can't argue with that as the perfect interview.

"I don't want anything to change. I understand Andy's position [with Saracens, where he is under contract) and I admire his loyalty.

"I would love everything to remain as it is. There is a load more to come from this group of players."

Ritchie has insisted throughout the recruitment process that the new England head coach would not be appointed based on Six Nations results alone.

Lancaster delivered on the field but he will also argue to the interview panel that he has created the foundations for England to begin building towards the home World Cup in 2015.

And he hinted that his proposal to the RFU's interview panel would be to retain his tight-knit senior management team of Rowntree and Farrell.

Lancaster will also use his interview to press the RFU to develop a new centre of excellence. His vision would be for the RFU to build a training base for the senior England team that would also provide indoor and outdoor facilities for age grade national squads.

Lancaster does not buy into the theory that players are too pampered and feel too comfortable at their current Test base, Pennyhill Park, a spa hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, which has its own gym and rugby pitch on site.

But he does believe they need their own dedicated training centre to ensure the best possible preparations.