England - where now?

[johnh]

After last weekends dismal performance (#3and half) what is Jonno going to have to do to find a winning formula?
As much as I admired him as a player, is he up to the job of selecting the England team?
I'm dreading next weekend against the French, I fear we are going to get well and truly stuffed.

[drc_007]

It ought to be a decision point on some of the coaches.

Can the England forwards ensure quick ball at the breakdown, can they provide any impetus going forward.

Can the backs fashion any attacking plays given the above.

If not Wells and Co should be out.

[FlyingTiger]

After last weekends dismal performance (#3and half) what is Jonno going to have to do to find a winning formula?
As much as I admired him as a player, is he up to the job of selecting the England team?
I'm dreading next weekend against the French, I fear we are going to get well and truly stuffed.

IMO Johnno and Wells should never have been there in the first place. Don't think England will get stuffed as they are better that Italy. The unfortunate thing will be that we will be given another load of media tosh by Borthwick, Johnson just as we have been given for the past year or so.

[Will S]

Johnno has got some very difficult games coming up:

France (A)
Australia (A)
Australia (A)
Australia (A)
Samoa (H)
SA (H)
NZ (H)

At present we only really have a decent shot a beating Samoa. This is the time to mix it up and add in the youth as they would also likely lose the majority of these games but the public would be much more forgiving. Throw the young lads in at the deepend and really back their natural talent, we may well be surprised!

[Anthony]

As has been said many times before, the buck has to stop at the RFU, and within that Rob Andrew. How he has managed to stay out of this situation unscathed baffles me.

Johnson was the fans choice and could have done something good, but let's not forget England have not played a solid game of rugby for years. We won the world cup as the side was beginning to wane, put nothing in place immediatly afterwards and we stumbled from result to result up to the 2007 WC were we were lucky to reach the final.

Cracks have been papered over and now its time for a change. Never thought I'd say this as I have been watching England for over 30 years, but I just can't be bothered to watch this drivel for much longer and I certainly won't be paying £80 to go to HQ.

[Will S]

The really annoying part for me is that man for man England do have some real talent. Look through each position and we have the players to match most of the best teams - it is just when they get together they turn into a bunch of muppets.

I just can't understand why players, who are great for club, suddendly lose all basic skill when turning out for England? It simply must come back to the coaching. Look at DA (star of Eng's last 6N's) and LM (star of our AI's). They both came into the squad (from the Saxons and back from injury) and played blinders. A bit of time within the squad however and they look to be the two players likely to be bench warming for the France game.

[Blabyboy]

unfortunatley england do not have the players to compete at the moment. we lack quality in the key positions, the core of the side. hooker, 8, half backs and full back.
the really unfortunate thing is that they will probably go out and beat the french and all will be rosie in the garden again, then we will suffer another 12 months of rubbish.
i wish they management would just bite the bullet, accept that we need to have a restructuring period where we will not win games, then put the young guns in, build a team for 2014.

[Kinoulton]

Whilst I respect Will S's point that England have players who are "great for their clubs", I would reiterate my previous point (on t'other thread) that a lot of them are "great" for clubs that keep losing.

So how good are they?

Tigers may not be staggeringly attractive this year, but we appear to have amassed more league points than all these clubs that are supposedly crammed full of talent.

The English players that I would much rather have on my side than against me would be Cueto, Moody and probably Cole and Youngs in the future. The rest are just OK.

Johnno really doesn't have a richly stocked pool in which to fish.

[Bill W (2)]

The rest are just OK.

Johnno really doesn't have a richly stocked pool in which to fish.

On a world stage I am not sure they are as good as that.

[kingol22]

if we put all the young players in against france i really think they could step up and deliver. problem is are all the young players people are talking about being in great form in the eps?

[Bill W (2)]

if we put all the young players in against france i really think they could step up and deliver. problem is are all the young players people are talking about being in great form in the eps?

Oh shucks! Randrew didn't leave them out did he?

[Blabyboy]

well they can't do any worse can they.
MJ hasn't got the best crop of players to work with but he has got to start doing his bit aswell, we kicked away all of our posetion against the italians, then kept the ball in hand in the bad weather against ireland.
pick flood i say, not the greatest 10 ever to wear the shirt but more expansive than jonny, at least he gives us some excitement.

[adamv6]

What is driving me to distraction, is that Johnno (18months ago) said that rugby is basically a very simple game. He was correct, but the coaches and him just seem to have forgot that principal! So, (incase he and others are reading) I have laid out a few things for them to run past the guys...

1) Back-row forwards to not belong in the centre, nor do second rows and props belong on the wings...

2) Only kick the ball if;
a) You're in your own 22 with 3 17stone+ back-row forwards about to take you out your boots...
b) You are damn sure that you will make touch
c) You are putting the ball so high in the air it will come down 3 degrees cooler than when it left, preferrably targetting the only opposition player incapable of catching it
d) You're taking a penalty!

3) If you have a number above 10 on your back and somebody decides to implement rule number 2, you chase the ball like its the ginger kid you just found with your younger sister...

4) If a member of your team has the ball be prepared to;
a) receive the ball from him (without him having to perform a 60yd flat pass off his left hand while falling backwards)
b) protect the ball when he is tackled, at the ruck/maul

5) If you are a prop, you bind on the shirt. Not the grass, or the flankers ear, or the elbow, or his shorts, or your own shorts.

Other than that, my simple advice to Johnno;

DON'T LISTEN TO THE PRESS, STUART BARNES OR ANY OTHER HACK. PICK PLAYERS ON FORM AND ABILITY

[Blabyboy]

i suggest johnno starts to read the Sun, because if he does, dewi morris days on the planet are surley numbered, and that would make my week !!!