Six Nations - Oval Talk: What hope for England?

Eurosport - Thu, 12 Feb 17:55:00 2009

It is not inconceivable that the snore-fest witnessed at Twickenham last weekend could prove to be the wooden spoon decider for this year's Six Nations.

Martin Johnson (L) and Brian Smith - England - 0

There cannot have been too many occasions when England have come away with a 39-11 victory and been lambasted in the fashion they have this week.

The record books will show that they crossed the whitewash five times and snapped a run of three consecutive Test defeats, but those that watched the dross served out at HQ will know that England are in a state of disarray.

As is so often the case with England, they appear to be torn between the need to develop a team for the future and the demands placed on them to win their next game.

Should manager Martin Johnson (pictured left) be looking to build a side that can challenge for the 2011 World Cup, or should the former England skipper focus entirely on winning in Cardiff on Saturday? What is more important: performance or result?

The noises emanating from Twickenham ahead of the autumn internationals certainly gave credence to the former strategy. England had used too many players under Johnson's predecessor Brian Ashton, there had been no continuity in selection or the way they wanted to play, the players appeared to be getting mixed messages from the coaching team.

Well, five games into Johnson's reign - seven if you include the hidings England received in the two summer Tests in New Zealand - and there is little evidence of a change in approach, either on the field or off it.

In Johnson's defence, injuries have made it difficult for him to field his first-choice XV - and perhaps best XV - but there have been question marks over some of his selections.

Why, for example, was Nick Kennedy, England's stand-out jumper, dropped from the side after making a decent, try-scoring debut against Pacific Islands in November? Surely the London Irish lock would have benefitted hugely from playing Australia and South Africa, and, in hindsight, done as well as the chosen locks.

Did Shane Geraghty - who had already shown his Test potential with a match-winning cameo against France on his debut two years earlier - not deserve the chance to start at fly-half against Italy ahead of the already tried, tested and discarded Andy Goode?

Why not give Mathew Tait a go at outside centre instead of the limited Jamie Noon when Mike Tindall withdrew at the 11th hour with injury?

And what of Danny Cipriani? England's saviour one month and not good enough to make the match 22 the next. Surely his sublime performance in the win over Ireland last season was enough to stick by him, despite the media distractions and celebrity girlfriend.

The England coaches can talk all they like about having to get the balance of their side right, but if the team they select then goes out and performs like it did against Italy it is only right to question their choices.

England still appear hamstrung by Gavin Henson's tackle on Tait in 2005, when the then-debutant was dumped on his derriere in no uncertain fashion. Too soon, not big enough, needs more experience.

Until England learn to stick with players and give them a decent run then they will fail to identify their best team.

But what is most worrying of all is the lack of any discernable style of play. It was the same under Ashton, but at least he had the sense at the World Cup (or was it the result of player power?) to resort to England's default - a forward-orientated game.

Johnson's appointment of Brian Smith (pictured right) pointed to a more expansive approach, but sadly there has been little evidence of the attacking style he used to such great effect at London Irish.

Has Smith's voice been drowned out by the likes of John Wells and Graham Rowntree, the forwards coaches inherited by Johnson and part of the so-called 'Leicester mafia' now in charge?

Twickenham might argue that Smith needs longer than five games to stamp his imprint on the side, but Warren Gatland and his coaching team managed to change Wales' fortunes and win them a Grand Slam in exactly the same amount of time.

Perhaps, as Lawrence Dallaglio has pointed out recently, England just do not possess world beaters in this current crop of internationals. Maybe that is something fans of the Red Rose need to accept and adjust their expectations lower - much lower.

It certainly does not help when their captain, the likeable but limited Steve Borthwick, holds such little fear for the opposition. If the management is unable to identify that their skipper does not deserve a place in the side, then there is little hope that they will get the rest of their selections right.

And so to Cardiff this weekend. If the game goes to form England will do well to keep the margin of defeat below 20 points. Wales are purring like a well-oiled marque and, now they have their lineout in order, appear to have few weaknesses.

But it was not so long ago that England were being written off at the World Cup and through a combination of pig-headedness and heroic defence somehow made the final.

As underdogs, England have a habit of making critics eat their words and maybe there is just enough bite in this current side to cause Wales problems. It's a big maybe.

Terence O'Rorke / Eurosport

Comment 61 - 80 of 140

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  1. Emma and Sadie....You make me proud to be English

    From laboca123, on Wed 11 Feb 8:42PM

  2. I just want to say that as an Englishman, I am sick and­ tired of hearing other brits saying that we bang on­ about our past glories. But it seems ok for you Welsh,­ Scots , and Irish to do so, and those stories are­ usually over 500 years old.

    From laboca123, on Wed 11 Feb 8:41PM

  3. Hello Emma...You and Saddo - sorry, Sadie - are­ related? You certainly both suffer from the same­ delusions of grandeur. England to kick our ar*es? Oh­ God, I've not had such a belly-aching laugh since­ Scott Gibbs snatched "your" trophy from you­ in Wembley back in 1999. Did you watch that one on the­ telly too?

    You watch a couple of games on the box and­ suddenly you're an expert? Patriotism is one thing,­ sheer idiocy is quite another.

    From Gez, on Wed 11 Feb 8:40PM

  4. Liam maybe you need to learn how to read a newspaper.­ England have been the underdogs from day one of the­ competition. which is why kicking wales arse on­ saturday will be a sweet victory

    From emma d, on Wed 11 Feb 8:22PM

  5. Gez unless you didnt notice her last comment stated she­ was leaving, youre talking to youself. but then again­ youre welsh so youre used to it i suppose, no other­ country can understand a word you say with that poxy­ accent

    From emma d, on Wed 11 Feb 8:18PM

  6. How come even before Italy and England played the­ commentaters already were saying England has one and­ that Italy were a stepping stone for a successful­ tournament, bull s***!

    England only capitalised on­ Italys mistakes and I hope that the Irish, Scots,­ French and Welsh hammer them! Look at the statistics,­ England have lost their thing, they lost it after 2003!­ Hope they dont get the Grand Slam, Tri Nations or even­ the Calcutta Cup, they do not deserve it!

    Wales will­ probably go into the game as underdogs as the BYUST­ commentaters will always point out the flaws and­ mistakes of the Welsh and nothing about the­ English!
    Even our own Jonathan Davies is aginst us!

    From liam_matt, on Wed 11 Feb 8:10PM

  7. Who put the sad into Sadie? Patriotic? Don't make­ me laugh.... And as for arrogance: you and your ilk­ truly are the World Champions in that regard­ (That's the only World Champs you're going to­ be for the foreseeable - live with it).

    And as for­ Emma d...we're "going to get mashed bad on­ Saturday"? Well after the game maybe....when­ we're celebrating kicking your witless, clueless­ English ar*es back over the Severn Bridge

    From Gez, on Wed 11 Feb 8:09PM

  8. I agree that England are struggling at the moment but­ am sure the Welsh players and management are not­ underestimating the opposition.
    Strange things happen­ in the our game!! Home advantage infront of passionate­ fans will result in a win for Wales, but not by the­ tryfest some are predicting

    From spyatree, on Wed 11 Feb 8:04PM

  9. English sports thinking???!
    What like the footballers­ not qualifying for the Euros coz of bickering and­ backstabbing and more recently,the disintergration of­ the England cricket team coz of infighting?­
    Yeah.right.

    From e=mc squared, on Wed 11 Feb 8:00PM

  10. Emma and Sadie the biggest rugby supporters in the­ world.
    I bet youve never played rugby,though,so you go­ to games,so what.

    England are going to get the hiding­ of a lifetime and Johnsons arsse is like a tulip .

    And­ the armchair fans like sadie can enjoy being­ humiliated,smashed,taken apart and destroyed on­ Saturday.

    From e=mc squared, on Wed 11 Feb 7:58PM

  11. LOL@your original post. Small Insignificant. Too funny.­ Have fun with them, I'm bored with their sexist­ bullshite already. I'll ttys

    From sadie s, on Wed 11 Feb 7:39PM

  12. Good here Sade, Just laughing at the @#$% being posted­ by the welsh. Ok history is history but they really­ dont understand english sports thinking at all do they?

    From emma d, on Wed 11 Feb 7:34PM

  13. Hey Emm. Hows things there? You're getting my­ treatment now.. how can you be a real englsnd follower­ you're female. Typical sexist @#$%. I bet half the­ people posting on here unlike you and i have never even­ been to a game.

    From sadie s, on Wed 11 Feb 7:30PM

  14. yes i do make a good wife for someone, thank you for­ noticing. And my hustand is sitting here laughing at­ the stupid welsh mentality. you really do underestimate­ the english dont you? dont you realise we play better­ as the underdog, that way we dont disappoint. remember­ world cup 2007? who was it that got to play in the­ finals? the underdog england. you are going to get­ mashed bad on saturnday

    From emma d, on Wed 11 Feb 7:28PM

  15. Dont worry .we are licking are lips in England too(at­ the thought5 of E#ngland getting a filthy smashing on­ saturday)

    From e=mc squared, on Wed 11 Feb 7:24PM

  16. emma d...what do you know about rugby,girly-poo.
    Maybe­ u know quite a lot about couch rugby,stick to whinging­ you will make a good ^trouble and strife^ for someone^

    From e=mc squared, on Wed 11 Feb 7:22PM

  17. LOL these posts just about sum it up. what more can you­ expect from such a small insignificant country (if you­ can call 3 million people a country) The only reason­ their squad is halfway deccent right now is cause they­ all play for the same team NON internationally. If the­ england squad played together more often we'd kick­ arse with out eyes closed

    From emma d, on Wed 11 Feb 7:09PM

  18. Wales have no hope the whole English stragey has been­ to play the game so slowly that the other side falls to­ sleep then one of England players can fall over their­ legs on to the try line. ;-)

    From Julie, on Wed 11 Feb 6:58PM

  19. Well the thing is Taffy boy, if youre @#$% youre @#$%. ­ If you keep quiet about it but keep doing the best you­ can, you can get away with a defeat. But, if you go­ about gobbing off about how good you are and you lose,­ you look stupid.

    We`ll see what you say after we beat­ you this weekend. I`m in a minority I know, but we`ll­ see..

    From peter s, on Wed 11 Feb 6:53PM

  20. LOL

    From sadie s, on Wed 11 Feb 6:50PM
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