By Phil Harlow

Ben Kay pumps iron at an England training session

Austin Healey believes English rugby's downward spiral is partly down to its obsession with physical strength at the expense of basic skills.

Healey says young players are becoming "gym monkeys" who are more worried by bench-press figures than rugby skills.

"The strongest athletes are gymnasts who never go in a gym in their lives," the former England star told BBC Sport.

"It should all be own bodyweight stuff. A lot of our players are too big for their own frames."

Healey believes the gym culture is just one of many problems with the game.

"We need to look at the game differently. Our whole ethos is that rugby's a big-man's sport and that arrogant attitude isn't getting us anywhere," he said.

The Leicester great wants to see an end to the RFU's academy system in order to encourage more free-thinking players.

"We don't need academies - players find their natural level," said Healey.

"You start off at your local club, they realise you're too good for them and recommend you up the chain to someone slightly better, and so on - that's what all of the players of my generation did.

A lot of forwards come to the end of their career, and think 'what am I going to do now?' and so they go into coaching Former England star Austin Healey

"Keeping young guys with their peers training in the gym turns them into 'gym monkeys'.

"It doesn't allow them to progress and see what they can learn from other people. It really is killing our sport."

Healey, who has demanded the resignation of under-fire England head coach Andy Robinson, thinks the standard of coaching is a major factor in England's demise.

"Robinson is a good tracksuit coach promoted above his abilities and he's the sort of guy who unfortunately is taking up all the coaching roles in this country.," he said.

"A lot of forwards come to the end of their career, and think 'oh my God, what am I going to do now?' and so they go into coaching.

"Those guys know a lot about the game as it is now, but they don't have any idea of what the game's going to be like in the future. They don't have any invention.

"People like Sir Clive Woodward and Brian Ashton - backs basically - are better coaches and more inventive.