Welsh wonders

A win for Wales in Paris will outline their growth into a first-tier nation, says Stuart Barnes.

Gatland's charges capable of turning over French

On Friday night we will discover the current state of European rugby. Wales - undoubtedly the outstanding team in Europe the past 12 months - head to France in a game they must win to keep their Grand Slam repeat on track but also to show that the old world has a side that's growing into a first-tier team. Make no mistake, if France were in competition with the Tri Nations all those sides would expect to win in Paris. France has chosen its own different route towards the 2011 World Cup; one based less on results and more on development than any other side on the planet. No matter how strong the French selection appears on paper, this psychological fall back is always there for the team: "We are developing." Maybe it will end in triumph in Auckland, who knows, but right now it often ends up as justification for the other ailing European giant. Wales do not have this mindset, for them back-to-back Grand Slams would be an immense achievement in its own right. Such global aspirations as those of France are a touch too Napoleonic for a side that spent a long time in the doldrums watching its reputation as a great rugby nation dragged through the dirt. 2011 can wait, for Wales Friday is all and this, I suspect might give them the winning edge. The other 'ailing giant' is of course England. It was shocking to see how many people latched onto a defeat that always appeared likely throughout events in Cardiff as proof of the corner being turned. Wishful thinking is a phrase that sprang to mind. This is their record going into the match in Dublin. Under Martin Johnson England has played six and won just two; the Pacific Islanders, who until then had never won a game, and Italy, who were to become the Pacific Islanders first victims later that Autumn. Five of these six games were at Twickenham. Sorry if I stated these facts last week but they should be reiterated. The manager states that the French way is not his way. Winning, no matter how, is all that counts. Nothing but victory on Saturday will do. Defeat would leave the record as five from seven losses and shatter any hopes of a false dawn. An away win and we can reconsider the direction in which this team travels. It is a strange international because both sides face enormous pressure. England know they have to produce a meaningful win while Ireland are expected to dismiss the visitors with something to spare. It is a fascinating test for Johnson off the field too as he locks horns with one of the sharpest rugby coaching minds around in Declan Kidney. Lots to learn in Dublin and everything to lose for Scotland against the bluntest Italian team I have seen. Frank Hadden needs more than a win, he needs a performance. It has been a messy tournament for team and coach until now and anything other than a convincing win will fail to assuage the growing band of understandable Scottish and rugby-watching doubters.

From Dublin to Madejski

Away from the international scene I am dashing back from Dublin to broadcast London Irish against Leicester. The home side produced a thrilling second-half fight back to draw at Bath and a win would ease them clear of the Tigers, one of their main rivals for a play-off position. Irish are a club comfortable in its own skin, while Leicester struggle for any rhythm. They are a proud and defiant club but must find form on the road very soon, otherwise they could miss out on the play offs and Leicester are simply too wealthy and organised not to be up there every year with the best of England. Richard Cockerill would love the post of Leicester Director of Rugby; Sunday's result might go some way towards his board making that particular decision one way or the other. No doubt there is plenty of tension awaiting us this weekend, let us hope there are one or two well worked tries to go with it.

Stuart answers your emails...

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Emigration doesn't spell the end

Dear Stuart, Could I ask your thoughts on the recent signing of England internationals by French Clubs - do you think this can actually turn out to be a benefit for the Premiership clubs, and the reaction has been somewhat hysterical? Regular internationals are only free for a diminishing number of league games for clubs, and it would appear those supplying the internationals are not being financially compensated by the RFU as originally intended. In these hard economic times clubs can save the salaries and give opportunities to promising youngsters hungry for game time. I've always been suspicious of the excuse that England don't have enough access to internationals, and haven't seen anything in the Autumn/Six Nations to change that view as yet (I know it's early days). Many would say the English teams are only starting to have to live with a fact of life faced by southern hemisphere teams and the Celtic clubs. Keep up the excellent work with the Rugby Club.
Chris Penn, Norwich Stuart replies: Chris, I share most of your opinions. The English rugby world is not going to end because of this emigration. Martin Johnson can fill his EPS squad with Englishmen and draft in the French legion if he feels the need. French club rugby is not in the greatest of shape at the moment and there is a danger of going to the wrong club for financial reasons, but if players take the 'Toulon option' it tells England about their lack of overwhelming desire to represent the nation and if they join a club like Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne or Stade, these players could easily expand and improve their game. It would be wrong to criticise any player for maximising his professional earnings, especially as the Premiership has benefitted from financial advantages over the Southern Hemisphere for the last few years. Perish the thought of hypocrisy. I am with you nearly all the way on this one.

Flatman frustration

Stuart, What does David Flatman have to do to get some recognition from the England selectors? He is the best technical loosehead we've got, has improved immeasurably in the loose and is fully fit and raring to go. I think it's about time he was recalled to put some pressure on Andrew Sheridan, who looks out of sorts at the moment.
Ryan Brough Stuart replies: Ryan, There has not been a 40-minute performance from any tight head in the country to rival his astonishing second-half effort that stemmed the dominance of the Toulouse pack in round six of Europe. He supplemented this with some deft handling and direct running against London Irish at the weekend. Indeed Bath's collapse and the substitution of Flatman may be much more than a coincidence. I would say more but as David is a frequent contributor to Sky's team that might seem biased. If he handles Julian White in the Heineken Cup quarter-final he will have made a profound statement to the England selectors.

Club over country

Stuart, I'm struggling to see why England's attacking play is so one-dimensional, slow and lacking in continuity? There seems to be an inability to string more than four or five phases together, and even then the razor sharp edge, so evident in Wales' backline play, is missing. Delon Armitage had a few decent runs last week, and his try was well-taken, but the majority of England's attack play is far too slow and lateral. Watching Bath Rugby play, on the other hand, is a real treat. I would much rather pay £30 to watch Bath (though I would never get a ticket due to the size of the Rec) than fork out the best part of £80 to watch England. Bath throw the ball around, attack the spaces, have 15 players with the ability to offload and support the ball carrier on both shoulders, and string 15 phases together before the likes of Maddock and Banahan finish in style. Steve Meehan for the next England attack coach?
Tim Mitford, Slade Stuart replies: Tim, I thought Steve Meehan should have been the man for England in that post last season and was roundly abused by old friends from Bath who reckoned they lost enough talented coaches to the national cause so I shall remain silent on the subject of his suitability for the post. I will say that no matter how good the attack coach, if the quality of phase ball is slow (which, although better against Wales has been abject overall since Johnson took control) he will struggle to create a decent attack based around anything but a clever kicking and counter-attacking game. England has concentrated on their kicking game and winning slow ball; it is just a shame their kicking game is not very clever until now. I sense that the specific coaches are too focused on their own game and are not interrelating with the others. John Wells and Graham Rowntree and Brian Smith have to work in harmony; at the moment it seems like England have several separate kings and each is worried about his sole kingdom. If this is the case (and it is only a hunch based upon the lack of fluidity within the team's game) it is an indictment of the manager, who has to pick his team well and organise his coaching team. If Johnson is struggling it is no surprise as he is completely new to the job - at which point some people may say why is a rookie running the national team? It would be wonderful for English supporters if the team answered a few of these questions in the affirmative this Saturday night.