What we learned from Twickenham on Saturday is that Martin Johnson's side, even though they managed to raise their game, are still a long way behind the best in the business.
In racing parlance, England are not merely a nose, or even a length behind New Zealand. If both were somehow entered in the Derby, England would round Tattenham Corner and gallop down the hill, only to find that the All Blacks had not only finished first, they'd shaken hands with the Queen, quaffed all the champagne, pulled the best looking girl in the post-race party, and were already half way back down the M4 to their stables in Wiltshire.
Wilkinson: Dejected
There is, to put it mildly, a lot of catching up to do between now and the next World Cup.
Fortunately for England, New Zealand won't be a problem on their own patch because, as we know, they always contrive to mess things up, either in the quarter finals or the semis. The weight of expectation will be so great in 2011 that the All Blacks are virtually guaranteed to implode at some stage.
In racing parlance, England are not merely a nose, or even a length behind New Zealand. If both were somehow entered in the Derby, England would round Tattenham Corner and gallop down the hill, only to find that the All Blacks had not only finished first, they'd shaken hands with the Queen, quaffed all the champagne, pulled the best looking girl in the post-race party, and were already half way back down the M4 to their stables in Wiltshire
Phil Edwards
Quotes of the week
The point is however, that England, with all those players to call upon, with all that money in the coffers, with the sort of resources and technical back-up that most of the world's dictators can only dream about, are still some way off the pace.
Lions the example
I know I'm not alone in believing there is something not right with either the methods, or the personnel involved on the coaching side. Maybe it's both. One of the players summed things up nicely after Saturday's game. He said his team-mates regularly performed to the highest of standards for their clubs, but somehow with England "went back into their shells". Why is this?
Come to think of it, why is it that the coaches of the 2009 Lions, working with lots of other chaps who also manage to play reasonably well for their clubs, just happened to create a side, in a few short weeks, that came within a whisker of toppling the World Cup holders and Tri-Nations champions?
Ian McGeechan reckons the Lions in South Africa were, at the time, the second best side on the planet. If you ask me it wasn't a distant second either.
England's coaches have had far longer to work with the Elite Player Squad. Months, even years in some cases. Their sides should be able to go toe to toe with the SANZAR nations in the autumn, and be similarly competitive when crossing the equator on summer tours in June.
England rugby fans are too intelligent (okay, so you know some exceptions) to buy the old line that opponents in November are "battle-hardened", while in June the Red Rose heroes are "knackered after a long hard season". You cannot have it both ways.
For too long, England have under-performed against the southern hemisphere sides. Sir Clive Woodward and co managed to buck the trend for a while, but it didn't last long.
Changes needed
One try from three matches in November is not the sort of return to reward the loyalty of fans or serve notice to international rivals. To my mind, the injury count is not enough of an excuse either. Hand on heart, I don't think things would have been that different on Saturday had all the usual suspects been available for selection.
Martin Johnson says he wants his current coaches to stay put, but I believe one, maybe two, will go. I'll be sorry when it happens, because they are all top blokes and great company, but England must come first.
It's not that a coaching ethos can ever be said to be wrong. How can you ever define right and wrong in a sport that is continually evolving? It's just that to be successful you need to be truly of your time, or preferably ahead of your time. It's like music, or art, or fashion. England constantly seem to be about five years behind the times. Watching them is like going to eastern Europe and seeing blokes with mullets everywhere.
What the players need are fresh ideas; a new approach; cutting edge design; something different; something challenging. They might be thoroughbreds, but if they don't have the right trainers, or the right tactics, they're simply heading straight for the knackers yard.
Comments (7)
- Page 1 of 1
- 1
Peter Desmond says...
May I just say what is all this talk of England in a crisis? Im an Ireland fan and would be very wary of England in the 6 nations. Talk of a crisis is slightly insulting to other nations, beating Argentina is a good result, dont forget how well they did in the world cup, ans they are joining the tri-nations, so if I was English I wouldnt be worried.
Posted 17:23 26th November 2009
Tristan Evans says...
The coaches are incompetant journeymen who have achieved very little in terms of coaching success and winning things as top level coaches. Compared to other top nations our coaching team is a joke. Robbie Deans, Declan Kidney, Graham Henry, Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards just a few examples of proven winners in the coaching role. I don't care what they achieved as players its a coaching track record that is needed but evidently so lacking. For what is meant to be the richest rugby nation in the world financially how have we managed to recruit such second raters as wells, ford and callard! When you look at what Gatland, Edwards and Howley have achieved with Wales it just shows how important the coaching team is. Before they took over Wales were really struggling and with the same group of players that were underperforming the previous year wales went on to win the grand slam and play some great stuff, so for england to harp on about it being a work in progress is just lunacy. Rob Andrew should be ashamed.....Gatland and Edwards were looking for top jobs when Johnson was appointed!! I think jonno would have been a good idea if appointed with these men to get his management/coaching apprentiship....instead he gets to learn from Wells and Ford.....coaching from the nineties!! Please do something about it, get rid of all the backroom staff, maybe get McGeechan, Toby Booth of Jake White in. Rob Andrew must also go....what on earth does he do??? And finally please get rid of the likes of Borthwick and Deacon it is no coincidence that they didn't even get close to lions selection. Lawes looks exciting and could learn a lot from a colossus such as Shaw. Give players like Foden and Geraghty a go, to watch Geraghty for his club compared to country is like watching two different players, only the set up can be blamed!!!
Posted 18:28 25th November 2009
Jeff Higham says...
Now is the time for urgent and drastic action, not a characteristic of the RFU, but there's not much time left. I would make a clean sweep of the management and coaching staff from Andrew down, including Johnson. It's like removing MRSA from a hospital - half measures don't work. None of the coaches has performed well: The scrum has gone from good to bad, attack is non existent, defence is mediocre, initiative and ideas are missing. Selection has been attrocious and unfair to such players as Lawes, Cipriani, Foden. Of the current players, only Moody and Cueto could be classed as international standard. Put McGeechan or Jake White in sole charge and let him appoint the coaches and select the team. There are probably other people available too. Not difficult to improve on the existing contingent.
Posted 11:43 25th November 2009
Andrew Rennie says...
Having paid a great deal of money to go to Twickenham on Saturday and having got to the ground with no illusions whatsoever that we were going to turn around in one week the worst performance by an England side i have probably ever seen. I sat for the first 20 mins with growing hope my optimism was going to be proved wrong but alas it was not. After that it was the same old boring no idea England we had seen the two weekends prior. I agree with your comments and the majority of paying fans who made the effort (something some players need to show) to turn up that something drastic now needs to be done. The backroom coaching staff need to be replaced and quickly. They have become to comfy in there jobs and stale. Rugby had moved on and so has coaching but we seem to be stuck in the same old formula of trying to grind down teams and having no backs running from deep and angles or decoys,we have become far to predictable and slow. We are starting to fall so far behind the rest we may needs years to catch up if ever. One thing became more apparent on Saturday is that Borthwick is not a captain i sat with a group of other lads who are either still players or coaches who were screaming to Borthwick to rally the team but for the full 80 mins we saw none he just goes around and does his job of being a second row. Yet we all saw Moody go round tapping people heads and rallying them and above all leading by example. I would keep Martin Johnson in his job but loose Borthwick not just from the captaincy but from the team itself and say thanks to the coachings and bring in some new coaches with new ideas. An Ian Mcgeechan would do. Hopefully someone will listen to the screams and do something before it is too late.
Posted 13:57 23rd November 2009
Ryan Doyle says...
I would have to say it has been a awful series with one plus lewis moody what a player gives his all surely a england captain there. What worries me the most is Johnsons ignorance for the youngsters we have some great talent in foden lawes joe simpson ben youngs tait to name a few and other stand out performers being overlooked varndell maybe his time to shine done more than strettle cueto for clubs ect (although cueto did well in autumn). We need a new captain Borthwick cant cut it and international level has got to go. We need centres that Wilkinson can trust cant give im erinle and hipkiss to pass too how pathetic of Johnson pick worse centre parnterneship in years. My FULLY FIT england 22 would be: 1.Sheridan 2.Hartley 3. Vickery. 4. Shaw 5. Lawes 6.Croft 7.Moody. 8. Easter 9. Care 10. Wilkinson 11. Varndell 12. Fluety 13. Armitage/Tait 14. Monye 15. Foden/Armitage. 16. White 17. Mears 18. Corbisiero 19. Rees 20. Simpson 21. Tait 22. Cueto
Posted 11:45 23rd November 2009
David Dickens says...
I agree with your comments, but would add that should the RFU simply remove one or two coaches then I fear we will continue to drift aimlessly in the doldrums. The change must start at the highest levels, a new elite managment structure which would include removing both Andrew and Johnson. I am afraid Johnsons removal became necessary after his recent comments insisting that development has taken place, when it clearly has not. Such arrogance may be acceptable from a player just leaving the field of battle, but a manager in the cold light of day, no. There must also be an acceptance that a structured succession plan must be in place and that sentiment has no place in a profesional environment, for I fear that is why we see players like Thompson, Vickery and Worsley making appearances. The elite structure should not be influenced by administrators in selection, nor should pressure be applied to win every match, another reason we find ourselves in this situation. We have the players, I believe, to be at the top of the rugby world, just an antique view of how to get there. I now wait for the RFU to realise that radical action is needed and to take that action with gusto. That review should be carried out independently, not by Andrew, for I doubt he will fall on his sword for the cause. Perhaps, no, I know I wait in vain for such leadership to be demonstrated quickly, but a man can hope.
Posted 11:20 23rd November 2009
Ken Jones says...
A well balanced view. I like to think of it this way, the coaches are continually looking for the best players, why then is the Manager (Johnson) not looking for the best coaches to compliment the best players? Answer this question: Would the addition of Ian McGeechan in some capacity, i.e. head coach or consultant, (and we know he is available) not improve the level of coaching and the selection process for England? The answer is unequivocally "yes". Then why has he not been approached? If Johnson says he wants to stick with my current team for continuity purposes but bring in Geech to bolster it, he would be applauded. If he says he tried to get Geech but was unable to, so has stuck with the current team, again we would understand. However, to stick with the current team implies he thinks they are the best available with no-one else better - I beg to differ!!
Posted 10:25 23rd November 2009
- Page 1 of 1
- 1
Recent Comments:
Johannes M on A mountain to climb
"The Bok backline had only one game plan, i.e. kick & chase, and the lack of match fitness and possible injury showed in the performance(s) of Frans Steyn, Adi Jacobs, Ruan Pienaar and ... " View all comments
James Cox on Up and limping
"Lions weren't impressive but I don't hink one can read much in that.The Bulls were beaten 36-12 by the Highlanders 8 weeks ago and the Highlanders can't really be compared to the Chiefs... " View all comments