Brian Ashton
England Versus Wasps / RFU Versus Clubs
Brian Ashton
By Vespasian August 15 2007
Brian Ashton has picked seven Wasps players in his squad of 30 to try and retain the Rugby World Cup. Has he missed a trick or three? Having picked up the poison chalice so spectacularly dropped as it passed between Clive Woodward and and Andy Robinson, Ashton is entitled to some latitude.
Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton has picked seven Wasps players in his squad of 30 to try and retain the Rugby World Cup. Has he missed a trick or three? Having picked up the poison chalice so spectacularly dropped as it passed between Clive Woodward and and Andy Robinson, Ashton is entitled to some latitude.
However, a month from the off, England ought to be a finely honed machine by now.
Yes, the pack is almost back to its dogged, curmudgeonly best, but it is not the class of 2003. The most worrying aspect of the build up to 2007 is the continuing lack of pace, vision and execution when the forwards allow the backs a sniff of the ball. Jake White is right, England will not win anything by trying to crush opponents with boringly unimaginative football.
The squad has been picked to do the best England can possibly hope to do following three wasted years building up to this campaign. While injuries to key players like Charlie Hodgson, Mike Tindall, Dan Ward-Smith and David Strettle have note helped, the blinkers have not been removed. During the past two weeks, exciting players like Charlie Hodgson, Shane Geraghty, James Haskell and Danny Cipriani have been shed.
Non carpe diem is the order of the day. And Ashton admits he still doesn't know his best starting XV! This smacks of preparing to fail, write off this World Cup and regroup for the next campaign.
The excuses have been aired for years already. The powerful club game is at fault. Too many games, too few national squad days. We cannot win a World Cup under such a regime. Forget 2003, it was a fluke.
It is hard to argue against such cold logic. And why not slip in that favourite old chestnut at the same time by releasing the disinformed news this week that the inception of a super 10 competition controlled directly by the RFU is to be floated, with clubs who will not toe the line cast out into the wilderness.
Clubs such as Leicester and Wasps, who, let us face it, have done barely a thing to provide England with quality players. Clubs who know nothing about managing elite players to keep them fit week in, week out so that they can waste their skill with the national team. MarkH summarises the evidence on this message board thread: http://www2.rugbynetwork.net/boards/read/s96.htm?98,8193891,page=1
The RFU will never be disabused of the notion that its strategy is wrong. Andy Farrell will prove his detractors wrong and get England's backline fizzing. Tom Rees has not sustained one injury after another during the past month, and James Haskell had nothing to offer England's back row. Wake up and smell the Mogden!
Follow England's progress on http://www2.rugbynetwork.net/main/s586.htm Sportnetwork's RWC site.
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Re: England Versus Wasps / RFU Versus Clubs
Posted by: Hucks (IP Logged)
Date: 2007:08:15:17:30:32
I watched the 101 Greatest English tries DVD last night in an attempt to remind myself that once upon a time english rugby could be exciting.
a few very obvious things stood out relating to the tries in the era from 2000-2003.
1. how flat wilko/catt/greenwood always stood. the number of times someone like robbo picked a cracking line off a sublime greenwood pass and went through a huge gap simply because greenwood was playing right on the gain line. compared to farrell/wilko recently going through backs moves about 3 yards in front of the defence.
2. How far short of his best wilko is. yes he can still kick well. yes he's a mean tackler. but in those few seasons he was truly world class. see Kays try v Ireland where wilko opened the defence with a sublime inside pass or greenwoods comeback try vs the boks created by wilkos dancing feet and superbly timed pass.
3. in the 2002 autumn series JSD produced more moments of wizardry than dumbledore and gandalf combined. wilko's great try against the blacks that year was created by a trademark JSD sleight of hand and ghosting run. add that to healey's regular moments of genius along with robinson at his destructive best and we had matchwinners all through the backs.
4. the number of time Hill, Back or Dallaglio were to be seen in open play, comfortable with ball in hand interlinking with the backs and scoring truly great tries.
so whats the point of all this?
First - in the absence of a new greenwood (who i would say is the most sorely missed member of that England side) we desperately need some creative spark in the backs. yet the 3 young magicians of english back play - JSD, geraghty and cips are back home. Why????
2nd - Hodge Podge might be a bit flaky in front of goal and not seen as the best defensive fly half. but he stands flat. and christ can that boy time a pass. hodge, wilko and hipkiss at 10, 12, 13 looks far more dangerous than wilko, farrell, noon. yet he also is at home.
3rd. Rees and Hasks are probably the best footballing back rowers in the land and hasks was involved in everything good last weekend. yet he sits at home. Easter, Corry...they'll do a job sure but will they really worry the Bok defence?
All in all i think massive oppurtunities have been missed to see what these exciting youngsters can do. no-one wants a whole team of matt taits to get unceremoniously dumped out of the world cup. but i dont want to see us lose valiantly in the last 8 and have missed the chance to start building early for 2011.
Also - whats all this nonsense about picking on the basis of big match experience? sorry? while barkley and Easter have been messing around playing Viadana or whoever in the euro shield cips and hasks have been cutting it against the Ireland threequarter line (Leinster) and the small matter of the Heiny final against one of the strongest club teams in world rugby.
and if ashton really was picking on big match experience and didnt care about whether his RWC squad were soon being put out to grass i can think of one number 10 who stands flat, kicks his goals, runs a game, creates gaps and happens to have stamped his mark on two Heiny finals, a huge heiny semi, and 3 league finals since the last time he was inexplicably overlooked for the world cup by a moron posing as England manager.
And very lastly - sonic should come back to wasps. there's no doubt a season ago he was the biggest attacking threat at centre in England. im sure if he'd been at wasps this year he'd be going to france and would make an average england backline look tremendously exciting.
a few very obvious things stood out relating to the tries in the era from 2000-2003.
1. how flat wilko/catt/greenwood always stood. the number of times someone like robbo picked a cracking line off a sublime greenwood pass and went through a huge gap simply because greenwood was playing right on the gain line. compared to farrell/wilko recently going through backs moves about 3 yards in front of the defence.
2. How far short of his best wilko is. yes he can still kick well. yes he's a mean tackler. but in those few seasons he was truly world class. see Kays try v Ireland where wilko opened the defence with a sublime inside pass or greenwoods comeback try vs the boks created by wilkos dancing feet and superbly timed pass.
3. in the 2002 autumn series JSD produced more moments of wizardry than dumbledore and gandalf combined. wilko's great try against the blacks that year was created by a trademark JSD sleight of hand and ghosting run. add that to healey's regular moments of genius along with robinson at his destructive best and we had matchwinners all through the backs.
4. the number of time Hill, Back or Dallaglio were to be seen in open play, comfortable with ball in hand interlinking with the backs and scoring truly great tries.
so whats the point of all this?
First - in the absence of a new greenwood (who i would say is the most sorely missed member of that England side) we desperately need some creative spark in the backs. yet the 3 young magicians of english back play - JSD, geraghty and cips are back home. Why????
2nd - Hodge Podge might be a bit flaky in front of goal and not seen as the best defensive fly half. but he stands flat. and christ can that boy time a pass. hodge, wilko and hipkiss at 10, 12, 13 looks far more dangerous than wilko, farrell, noon. yet he also is at home.
3rd. Rees and Hasks are probably the best footballing back rowers in the land and hasks was involved in everything good last weekend. yet he sits at home. Easter, Corry...they'll do a job sure but will they really worry the Bok defence?
All in all i think massive oppurtunities have been missed to see what these exciting youngsters can do. no-one wants a whole team of matt taits to get unceremoniously dumped out of the world cup. but i dont want to see us lose valiantly in the last 8 and have missed the chance to start building early for 2011.
Also - whats all this nonsense about picking on the basis of big match experience? sorry? while barkley and Easter have been messing around playing Viadana or whoever in the euro shield cips and hasks have been cutting it against the Ireland threequarter line (Leinster) and the small matter of the Heiny final against one of the strongest club teams in world rugby.
and if ashton really was picking on big match experience and didnt care about whether his RWC squad were soon being put out to grass i can think of one number 10 who stands flat, kicks his goals, runs a game, creates gaps and happens to have stamped his mark on two Heiny finals, a huge heiny semi, and 3 league finals since the last time he was inexplicably overlooked for the world cup by a moron posing as England manager.
And very lastly - sonic should come back to wasps. there's no doubt a season ago he was the biggest attacking threat at centre in England. im sure if he'd been at wasps this year he'd be going to france and would make an average england backline look tremendously exciting.
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