Sung to the tune of Benny Hill's ERNIE ( THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST)
You could ‘ear the ‘oofbeats pound As they trundled ‘cross the ground And though they looked like lost old boys They still wheeled round and round Heads up each others’ ar$e, It was impossible to pass, Not going forwards only back They called them England The team that had the slowest pack .
Their games were all so staid That only the forwards played And the backs stood by Their hands shoved in their pocket If by some fluke or stroke The opposition broke The backs were called upon To try and block it. They called them England And they had the slowest pack in the Test
Now England had a leader A man who had a dream Called Mighty Mart from Twickenham And he was in charge of that team He said he’d like attrition “Don’t throw the ball about And anyone who runs it Well, he’ll be chucked right out”
He had a team of helpers They backed him all the way The game plan wasn’t to try and score, But to put a stop to play. They called themselves the coaches Their mantra “Train, train, train And if there’s still a sign of talent We’ll make them train again” Their names we don’t remember But they coached the slowest pack in the Test
Now England had a Captain A man who knew the song Who would say after every game “Well, we’ve done nothing wrong We’re happy with the players The team, the plan, the style You might not see it now But you will do in a while” He played for England And he led the slowest pack in the Test
They played the game with no real pace It was too slow for some And at 80 quid a ticket Lots wished they hadn’t come Though Mart and his team were happy They were in for quite a jolt ‘Cos strange things happen on the terraces When the crowd starts to revolt
Well England had a committee Called the Prawn Sandwich Brigade And they watched every match from high Through their gin and lemonade They thought there was no problem They didn’t know why all the fuss “We have a great day out for free There’s nothing wrong with us” They were the Committee They drank to the slowest pack in the Test
But things were not entirely well The fans were getting bored And one big match at Twickenham No sign of the horde A ghostly hush fell on HQ The fans had stayed away And to the team, the boss, the f@rts, It finally hit home that day
“What’s gone on here, Where have they gone” In surprise they cried as one The groundsman walked in the room “I’ll tell you what you’ve done. You’ve shown the world of rugby How not to play the game The fans have voted with their feet Now hang your heads in shame” His name was Ted the groundsman And he saw the trouble with the slowest pack in the Test
So there you have the story Of how the mighty fall When you make an easy game too hard To run wide with the ball. But supporters are a fickle lot It may not be too late Though many changes are required To keep the fans coming through the gate They called them England The slowest pack in the Test
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