The England management was standing behind the “Auckland Four” last night, saying that the unnamed players involved in the sex scandal enveloping the team in New Zealand are innocent and that the squad should be allowed to clear its name.

Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, said: “We are very keen as a union to see this matter brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. It is so important that each of the players have the best professional advice available to them. I know the boys are very upset, very frustrated that they cannot clear their names as soon as possible.”

If a complaint is not made in the next two or three days, he said that the RFU's legal team would press for the file to be closed. Baron was speaking after statements issued by Auckland police, who said on Thursday that detectives had been denied permission to talk to the players.

A legal stand-off is ensuing, but there is no suggestion that the players will not be allowed to leave the country when the squad departs tomorrow, after today's second and final international against the All Blacks here, and without a formal complaint the barrister and lawyers representing the players do not feel that there is anything to discuss.

“There is still no indication from the police as to when and if a complaint will be made,” Baron said. “We have sympathy and understanding for the police in this situation. They can't really do anything until they have a complaint. They have assembled a certain amount of information. Until there is a complaint, very little can happen.

“This is the first time an England rugby team has got into this position and that is distressing to everybody involved in England rugby and who loves England rugby. It makes us absolutely determined to do whatever we can to ensure such a set of circumstances never happens again for future generations of players.

“We have got to get across to these young men, who are very high-profile individuals, if they are not careful, they are targets for people to use. They have to be so careful and so conscious of what they do and how they do it. We have to make sure, working with the Premiership clubs, that we educate our young men for the realities of the new world of celebrity that they face, so we minimise the risk of any of our young boys being involved in incidents like this.”

There is a ripple effect for all the other squad members. Wives and girlfriends in Britain will be wondering what is going on and whether their husbands or boyfriends are involved. Baron agreed that the situation is unsatisfactory. “We are hearing reports of mothers being approached. That is why it is so important to try and bring a close to this incident,” he said. “It is affecting other people, we appreciate that. There is uncertainty out there as to who is involved and who is not.”

One consequence of the scandal is that strict guidelines for England players on tour will be introduced, it was revealed yesterday. Measures to be considered by Martin Johnson when he takes over as team manager on July 1 could include a ban on women in bedrooms and guards on hotel floors to ensure that a similar incident does not happen again.

Stricter codes of conduct are already included in the contracts that the members of the 32-man elite player squad will have to sign on July 1. Johnson is also involved in drawing up tighter controls, Baron said. As for possible internal disciplinary action, that will have to wait until the legal process is over.

Bob Taylor, the RFU president, said: “The game could be damaged not just in England, but worldwide by the allegations we are seeing our players suffer. We are in this mixed never- never land, whatever we do. We are trying to clear our name, trying to keep the game clean, but we are tending to go up a dark alley, which is not helpful.”

Asked if he has thought that the incident may have been a set-up, Baron said: “I would not be human if all those type of thoughts had not gone through my mind. But it would be absolutely wrong for me to indicate anything other than what the police have said.

“I have every confidence in the police taking the right decision in the event of no complaint being made. I am very confident they will come to the right conclusion.”