Dave J wrote:Give me a break! How often have the anti-RC brigade shouted from the rooftops that it is a results driven business nowadays. Whether you like it or not Toby Flood was the better 10 at that time so he was rightly selected ahead of Ford when available.Starts at 10, even when Flood was available, and a long-term contract instead of a 1-year contract in his final season.
And a forward-thinking vision for the direction of the club, rather than a limited 'one game at a time' mentality.
Almost exactly never.How often have the anti-RC brigade shouted from the rooftops that it is a results driven business nowadays
Your view is shared by Cockerill - it's all about who is the best player that week for that game. It's an immensely short-sighted view, and exactly the reason that we lost one of the best young players in world rugby.
It's not a useful trait in a Director that he has no vision beyond the next 80 minutes. And it's Cockerill's biggest flaw.
It's exactly why the two teams in the final are full of young players who are realizing their potential. You may not recall the gloating after every mediocre game that Ford had in his early days at Bath. But it showed the limited mentality of some fans, and it's shared with Cockerill. Bath knew that they had a player of great talent and HUGE potential. But they also knew that he needed to develop. So even when he was missing kicks or having off-days, they stuck with him and he kept getting better.
He's now England's first choice FH and has just been made Premiership Player of the Season. Which probably makes up for a handful of bad games in his early days at the club.
It's the same for the likes of the Vunipolas, Kruis and Itoje at Sarries, and the likes of Watson, Burgess and Eastmond at Bath. Every one of them spent time starting games when he wasn't necessarily the best player in his position at that time. Every one has developed and improved and their clubs are seeing the fruit of their development programme.
We... aren't...
We just look at the next game, heads down and unable to see the wall in front of us.