SCW tells it like it is

[fleabane]

I sometimes have no time at all for him, but I cannot take issue with what he says here.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... layer.html

It reveals much about the shambles that is the RFU, and their and the coaches failures. You can argue he has an axe to grind, but after reading this, I can understand why, and it certainly doesn't undermine his clarity of thought.

[trendylfj]

Thanks for posting the link - I also can't take issue with too much he has said except that I just don't think it is right at this level to play people out of their position when there is a specialist available in the squad. Bath have looked long and hard at Burgess (excellent player he may be) over most of the time he has been in the game and decided that he is not a centre. For me, he would not have been in the squad as a centre - I wonder where SCW would have played him?

[ourla]

Great article.

Encapsulates were we are and how we got here very well.

[JackFlashJonny]

Thanks for posting the link - I also can't take issue with too much he has said except that I just don't think it is right at this level to play people out of their position when there is a specialist available in the squad. Bath have looked long and hard at Burgess (excellent player he may be) over most of the time he has been in the game and decided that he is not a centre. For me, he would not have been in the squad as a centre - I wonder where SCW would have played him?

When you look at the work Wood did bar a lineout option Burgess could of been far more effective here although that would of been harsh on Haskell...

As it was we had a player who bar one game v Ireland has been dreadful in all warm up games..His performance as captain v France was atrocious Haskell came on and did more in 20 mins than him and Clark managed all match and yet he still got picked

[Jimmy Skitz]

glad too see someone so knowledgeable about Rugby shares the same opinion as me regarding French based players

[mol2]

Whether SCW agrees or not only Steffon Armitage would have been in the squad of the foreign based players and that alone wouldn't have changed Englands fate in the world cup. No doubt a good few of England's players may have followed the Euro to France had the restriction not been in place although the reverse may have been the case if there were a higher salary cap.

Can we really blame Lancaster for not picking foreign base players - I suspect that decision was made at a higher level with the English clubs pulling those strings as part of the mechanism to limit salaries and thus the cap. Foreign based internationals normally have a clause in their contracts to ensure their release to their national sides, which is part of the reason that internationals are played in what are referred to as windows.

I suspect that a good many English clubs with feel the financial impact of England going out of the world cup early and may well wonder if the pressure they applied was such a wise option

[jgriffin]

Many WC teams did not have the time together England have had, even Wales didn't but they always use their time well. Indeed IMO it is the amount of time coupled with the substandard coaching that is responsible for the dullness of the team. The AP coaches were fairly fed up, despite their support for Lancaster as a person
http://tinyurl.com/qbxra3s
I think Diamond hits it on the head though with his remark about the tickets - there has been some damage inflicted with the economic cost to rugby in this country probably into 3 figure million over the next year if you aggregate all the by-sales as well as increased spectators. Imagine the uptake if England had reached the semis - people would've watched on. Now I suspect half the audience will go and with it part of the expected expansion of revenue. That's why I think Ritchie, Andrew and the whole coaching team should go - it's not just the team it's the damage the RFU has done as a consequence of appointing a secondrate manager. Klopp could've done a better job.....

[KevinR]

Reported in the Guardian, but not in the Independent, that Cockers also thought that it should have been made clear that Manu was injured at the time of his indiscretion.

[Sajerj]

Reported in the Guardian, but not in the Independent, that Cockers also thought that it should have been made clear that Manu was injured at the time of his indiscretion.

I have not seen the article. Is he saying they (England) should have made it clear he would not make the RWC anyway at the time of his ban ?

[fleabane]

Manu had apparently told SLancaster a couple of days before the court case that he would not be fit for the WC. Slancaster then announced after the hearing that Manu would not be selected because of his conviction, without mentioning his lack of fitness.

[Cagey Tiger]

Manu had apparently told SLancaster a couple of days before the court case that he would not be fit for the WC. Slancaster then announced after the hearing that Manu would not be selected because of his conviction, without mentioning his lack of fitness.

And here was me thinking that being "economical with the truth" had gone out of fashion