Former England captain Kevin Sinfield is to step down from his role as head of the England performance unit with immediate effect.
The move, announced by the Rugby Football League on Monday, follows the appointment of Shaun Wane as the new national coach, taking over from veteran Australian Wayne Bennett.
Sinfield, who was instrumental in creating the performance unit in his role as the RFL rugby director, was a strong supporter of Bennett.
Sinfield said: "I would like to thank all the staff and players who have worked so hard on all the six England programmes during my time at the RFL.
"Our aim was to put the national teams at the pinnacle of our sport in terms of preparation and development, which I believe we have gone a long way towards achieving.
"I would particularly like to pay tribute to Wayne Bennett as England head coach.
"Wayne has always shown nothing but complete commitment to the England cause during his time in charge of the national team and the wealth of knowledge he has given to our players and coaches will enhance the game in this country for many years to come.
"His passion for this group of players to succeed in a home World Cup was evident every time I spoke to him about his players and I know it will be a disappointment that he cannot complete that journey with them."
Ralph Rimmer, the RFL chief executive, said: "For the last two years especially, but well before that, it has been an absolute pleasure to work closely alongside Kevin, who has always provided outstanding leadership, commitment and guidance to the EPU.
"We're obviously very sad about Kevin's decision to step down from his role at the RFL and the England Performance Unit.
"We did try to convince him to stay but he has made his decision, and every one of us at the RFL wish him the best in what we're sure will be a hugely successful future."