The RFU have embarked on their probe after Robinson declared he was livid after Kaplan denied England two tries and declined to consult the fourth official - who had access to the action replays - in the 19-13 RBS 6 Nations defeat at Lansdowne Road.

But Woodward has sprung to the defence of his successor and insists the RFU should not come down hard on Robinson.

I'm sure the RFU will back off completely because he has basically done nothing wrong, said the World Cup-winning coach.

After matches you want people to go straight in front of the cameras and the media and it's a highly-charged atmosphere so you have to be careful.

Some of the comments made after the press conference have been totally blown out of all proportion.

We've all said things in press conferences we probably regret and I've certainly said things after matches about referees, which I wish I had handled differently. But it's part of the game.

Everyone's got to be a little bit careful because - not just in rugby but also in football - you want to see the coach going in and saying what he thinks.

You have to try and temper it to a certain degree but I don't think Andy said anything any team official wouldn't have said.

I think they will just back off the whole thing and let him get on with preparing the team for the next match. That's what his job is.

Woodward also gave his unreserved backing to his former right-hand-man Robinson as the best choice to lead England despite the trio of setbacks against Wales, France and Ireland in the RBS 6 Nations.

It's been a tough season for England but it was always going to be a tough season, he added. I still think he's the right guy."