On Friday and Saturday, I was having some doubts about not going.

On Sunday, boy was I pleased that I hadn’t wasted my money on that drivel.

What is so completely wrong with the setup that the same problems which beset Andy Robinson and Brian Ashton can continue to afflict the supposed clean start of Martin Johnson?

We may have an uneviable list of injuries but at the same time England are the best funded rugby country on the planet with the largest playing base.

But whilst the names filling jerseys 1-8 looked a bit shallow, there was nothing wrong with the depth of talent starting at 9 to 15.

For a backline with those names to not even threaten to score is unforgivable. The lines, the moves, where where they?

For years, the threats from the back three of any of these Southern Hemisphere sides should be a nagging deterrent to anyone thinking about kicking away possession, and yet England continue to kick away, and poorly at that, anything less than pristine position. Then when they get good ball, the forward plod away in the Leicester way as has been their wont for the past four years.

The kicking of the Callard years pales in comparison to the smarter play of the Dave Alred era.

Surely, surely, surely, the finger of suspicion has to point at John Wells, Mike Ford and Jon Callard. For too long, Wells and Ford particularly have survived whilst the figureheads have rolled.

The game next week against Argentina threatens not only to be the shit between the sandwich of big name defeats but a dour game of unambition at the same time.

Whatever happens, England aren’t going to go down in a blaze of glory that’s for sure.

What a shame it now seems that Ashton and Johnson weren’t brought together whilst Ford and Wells were sacrificed….

Where now for English rugby?

From Saturday’s game, starting places for Haskell, Hartley and Lawes might inject some much needed dynamism but the backs and the backs coach, Brian Smith, need to start delivering. Teams need to fear that gifting possession to this set of runners in any part of the field could leave them grasping at shadows.

Show some ambition or a generation of players will be wasted and a generation of fans will be lost.

For the first 10 minutes of yesterday’s match, it was as if we had been set into a time machine, back six years. Here was Jonny Wilkinson, dropping a goal, kicking a penalty, ticking the scoreboard over, giving England an early lead, a lead from which they would press on and suffocate the opposition. But then, Jonny lined up a long range penalty from over halfway. This for 9-0. It sets sail, its on target! It hits the post. It misses. Suddenly, the spell is broken. We wake up. Australia wake up. They realise they are not playing England of 2003, but of 2009. Safe in that knowledge, they go down the field and score a try. They then dominate the entire second half and win comfortably, despite blowing at least three “open goal” try chances. And we England fans are left to scratch our heads and wonder just what the result means, and just where it leaves us. Was it a reasonable effort from a hastily assembled side and something to build on? Or was it a muddled catastrophe to rank alongside something from the Andy Robinson era? At first I thought it the former, but after watching the match again, I am leaning towards the latter.
Aside from the first 15 minutes, when England ruled the lineout, bossed the breakdown and had something like 65% possession, it was all Australia. England’s front five faded visibly with every minute the match went on, and hence there was no platform for the backs. If not for the heroic tackling of Moody and Wilkinson, the score would have been embarrassing.
England looked absolutely impotent in attack. Not once did we look like scoring a try. Not once. Australia on the other hand looked like arch wizards every time they had ball in hand.
Shane Geraghty had a shocking match. I think he deserves another go but I am now starting to fear that he is cut from the same cloth as Charlie Hodgson and that the biggest stage is a step too far for him. Matt Banahan looked totally lost and was unable to impose his size on proceedings, one tap back from a cross kick apart, and Ugo Monye had one of those games that make you think that maybe he is just someone very fit and very fast, but not actually any good at rugby.
Perhaps it is unfair to be harsh on these guys though, when in truth they had almost no quality ball to work with. The lack of snap and continuity from the forwards just heightens the doubts about John Wells as forwards coach. These doubts are now starting to be raised ever more loudly in the press, and for the first time, a major journalist has said that Martin Johnson should go. Over the top criticism? Maybe, but it is nothing compared to what will happen if England lose to the Pumas next week then ship another 30-40 points to the All Blacks the week after that. It is as if Andy Robinson/Brian Ashton had never left. Players have come and gone, Jonno might find to his cost that head coaches have as well, but somehow the Mike Ford/John Wells duo survive.
Perhaps we just have to accept what England are, a second division team fuelled by past glories to unrealistic expectations. And yet is it unrealistic to expect progress and competitiveness from the best funded team on the planet? There lies the problem for Jonno and the mysterious Rob Andrew. All the plans of the EPS, the acadamies, the long form agreement, mean nothing if the end result is clueless defeat like yesterday.

OK, so Australia are in disarray. They have lost all but one of their tests this year, the players are disillusioned in the coach, and attendances are collapsing. On top of that they have just hopped off a plane from Japan and now have to pitch up at Twickenham. So all England have to do is sing the anthem and a win is assured right? Except that… except that we just don’t know how good (or bad) this England team is. There is simply no reference point, no form guide. Moreover, we don’t really know what tactics or game plane England have. I am still not convinced by Mike Ford and John Wells as coaches but hey, before we even consider England, let’s not underestimate Australia shall we? Yes they might have lost matches this year, but those were against New Zealand and South Africa. How many games do you think England would win if they played six tests against those two?
Yes they might have injuries to key players, but Giteau, Elsom, Smith and Ashley-Cooper are world class and in Will Genia they seem to have found another livewire scrumhalf.
Against New Zealand last week I thought they were unlucky. New Zealand got away with daylight robbery at the breakdown (again). Time and again the ball was turned over (mostly illegally) when Australia seemed set to unleash an attack in a dangerous position. England have nowhere near the nouse at the breakdown that New Zealand possess.
Also, they might come here tired, but they come battle hardened. And let’s not underestimate the motivation factor that beating the Poms at Twickers will give them.
So can England stack up? Well, ironically, for once England’s backs look more potent than their forwards. The back three are all potent, the centre pairing looks to have good balance and at half back, a rejuvenated Jonny Wilkinson could be the difference between winning and losing. The pressure on him to perform must be immense, but at the very least you know he will kick the goals to keep England in the hunt and build confidence in those around him.
It is the front five that worries me. It looks like a Saxons selection. Borthwick is Borthwick. He is Jonno’s man. Credit must go to him for how he handles himself. Maybe it is time to get behind him. Louis Deacon does not add a lot for me. David Wilson is a great prospect at prop but will he be a destroyer? I must confess I do not know what Steve Thompson’s form is like at Brive, will he be the dynamo of 2001-2003 or the dumpling of 2004-2006? Tim Payne will do a job but he is no Sheridan.
The back row should be efficient. Lewis Moody will hare around like a nut case all day, Tom Croft will win lineouts, run fast and look good, Jordan Crane will crash and carry, but do they have the cunning to stop George Smith? That is the key question, and on the answer will hinge the outcome of the match.
Too close to call. My heart says England, my head says Australia.

Congratulations to Banjo on his selection for tomorrow’s test match against Australia, and welcome back to International colours. When he retired in 2007 due to a serious neck injury, few would have thought such a comeback was possible. Dom and I met Steve Thompson outside the Stade de France about an hour after England had beaten France in the last World Cup semi-final. He came across as a humble, friendly and genuinely nice guy who was happy to talk with fans and pose for photos. You could also sense his great delight at England’s success, despite his personal situation. It’s great to see he is now back at the top. In his prime he was a seriously big, nasty and obdurate unit who had the skills of a centre. Let’s hope for some more of that tomorrow!

With England’s first autumn international just one day away, the decision not to go – made on sound economical grounds – doesn’t feel so great.

We’ve got the usual buzz, got the butterflies, not got the tickets. (You can still get tickets from Ticketmaster).

My fellow blogger Matt is well up for it.

I’m not alone in having tempered ambition. Stephen Jones of The Times is not one of them as he questions whether winning is the most significant thing at this stage but Stuart Barnes thinks England fans want performance.

Over at the Beeb, Jeremy Guscott is disappointed that Courteney Lawes is not starting.

Also at the Beeb, answers to the question “Who is Courteney Lawes?”

Away from the autumn international, Will Greenwood has written one of those articles in the Telegraph that only he can (remember his matchday one? I can’t find the link). This time it’s an insider’s perspective on shoulder injuries.

Also in the Telegraph, Keith Wood fears for the future. He thinks that part of the problem is that players are being built up and conditioned to play for 50 minutes – an interesting thought…

Whilst England can claim only two victories on Australian soil in their entire history (albeit one was rather special!), at Twickenham their record is rather better. Matches between the two teams in TW1 tend to be close run and exciting matches. Here I recall some of the best Autumn Internationals of recent years.

2005
England 26 – Australia 16
Not a particularly memorable match, but England’s last victory against Australia at Twickenham. Notable only for England’s scrum (and Andrew Sheridan in particular) marmalising the Aussie pack. Despite umpteen amounts of possession, England still nearly managed to stuff it up and the game was only safe when Cueto scored late on.

Four released from the elite squad.

Armitage, Blaze, Kay and Strettle have been returned to their clubs.

Surprise over Armitage who is the only genuine 7 in the squad (come on Lewis, who are you kidding?).

And very surprised over Strettle who seems to operate in a different space and time dimension to other eligible English wings but Monye is the form player in the premiership and Banahan has been playing well.

I like the idea of two from Strettle, Monye and Banahan along with a genuine 15 like Foden.

What clues does this give us to the team for the Aussies on Nov 7?
I’d love to see Steve Thompson cap his return with a starting berth but I suspect it will be Hartley.
I really hope that Worseley is not 8 or 7.
I’d like to see Foden given his chance at 7.
I suspect that Tindall will be given a starting berth over Hipkiss who seems to be perenially underrated.
With the requirement to have two props on the substitutes bench

15. Foden / Cueto / Tait
14. Monye
13. Tindall / Hipkiss
12. Geraghty
11. Banahan
10. Wilko
9. Care
8. Crane / Worseley
7. Moody / Worseley
6. Croft
5. Deacon
4. Borthwick
3. Wilson
2. Thompson / Hartley
1. Payne

Bench: Barnes, Bell, Hartley/Thompson, Haskell / Worsley, Haskell / Worseley / Lawes, Foden/Hodgson, Tait/Cueto

Forwards:

Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby), Danny Care (Harlequins), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Ben Foden (Northampton Saints), Shane Geraghty (Northampton Saints), Andy Goode (CA Brive), Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers), Paul Hodgson (London Irish), Ugo Monye (Harlequins), David Strettle (Harlequins), Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks), Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon).

One of the sub-plots of yesterday’s clash between London Irish and Leicester was the battle of the open sides. The old nutter Lewis Moody versus the young wrecking ball Steffon Armitage. One of them is almost certain to line up for England against Australia in two weeks time, so who is the best bet to fill the troublesome 7 jersey? This is a position that England have not really filled since Neil Back retired. Partly it has to be said, because Moody himself has been second only to Jonny Wilkinson in the “always injured” stakes. Moody in his prime was as good a backrow player as England has seen. Let’s not forget that he split up the holy trinity of Dallaglio/Hill/Back at the start of the Autumn Internationals in 2002, was almost superhuman against New Zealand that year and it was only injury (surprise surprise) that let Back regain his place in the side. It was Moody’s line out take in the 2003 World Cup final that led to that drop goal. Since that great day, Moody has been seen only sporadically.
Last season Moody regained his place in the England squad and then promptly broke an ankle. Upon his return he looked washed up, at one point Martin Corry outpaced him during the Barbarians match. Happily this season he has returned from yet more injury in fine form for Leicester and is looking something like his old self. His intensity and disregard for his own safety (that borders on the insane and accounts for his high injury rate) gives real drive to any side he plays for. At one point yesterday he hammered young Armitage so hard in a tackle that he forced a knock on, a telling moment in their personal dual.
The London Irish flanker is a different type of player. Short, squat, but deceptively powerful, his low centre of gravity makes him almost impossible to shift when he is over the ball. In this respect he reminds me of George Smith. He carries better than Moody, indeed he carries better than Steve Borthwick. His ability to punch holes in opposition fringe defences could in fact be his biggest value to England.
With England’s current injury situation, it might be Moody’s experience and dynamism that win him the day. Moody to start then with the pocket battleship to come off the bench. Or even how about this, Moody at 6, Armitage at 7? Who knows, If England get any more injuries, it just might happen.

Moody – 73/90
Armitage – 70/90

Who would be a coach eh? It is bad enough for us pub selectors to try and pick a team from the rubble of the EPS, so imagine how it must feel for Jonno as he sits through each weekend with chewed nails and winces with each injury report. No sooner does he write out a provisional team sheet than he has to screw it up and throw it away. The daily paper mountain from his waste bin alone is equivalent to the deforestation of an area the size of Wales.

Shaw, Vickery, Cipriani, Armitage D, Mears, Rees, Sheridan, Flutey, the list goes on and on. Grim stuff when trying to plan for battles with Australia, Argentina and the All Blacks on successive weekends.

But before we all start buying into the media gloom and campaigning for players to wear American Football-style helmets, let’s think positively.

England does have the largest player base of any union, or so we are told, so we should be in the best position to deal with a situation like the one currently faced. Certainly better equipped than say Georgia or Romania, who have to start thumbing through the schoolboy lists for replacements when their first player pulls up lame.

Also, we are not talking about the decimation of a settled squad on the eve of a World Cup, we are talking about a post-Lions Autumn series where, if we are honest, we are not expecting England to tear up trees anyway. It might even be a good thing to expose a wider number of fringe players to International rugby, players who otherwise would not have had the chance. Blood them now and it gives more choice for the 6 Nations and beyond.

Looked at another way, this situation provides Jonno with opportunity.

Injuries are good! Injuries are selection’s evolutionary force, the mutations that drive forward progress. They impose change, and change can be good. Coaches are forced to rethink. Game plans built around certain players become redundant when those players are not there, so existing tactics have to be adapted or new ones adopted. Team squads, especially predefined ones like the EPS, can become static gene pools. Injuries bring an influx of new players, and genetic diversity.

Fringe players who might never have been considered, suddenly get the chance to shine. And many do. In recent years, think of the likes of Armitage, Banahan, Strettle. All have taken their chance due to injuries to others.

Successful coaches are often lucky coaches who, due to injuries, find by chance a magic team chemistry and then are hailed as great selectors. Now is the time for Jonno and his fellow selectors to be brave, trust their intuition and take a punt on a new face. It just might pay off.

Lucky Injuries? – some examples where enforced change has galvanised a team:

 After losing to Portugal and drawing with Morocco in the 1986 football World Cup, England was in crises. Injuries and suspension forced the exclusion of team mainstays Robson and Wilkins.  In came Reid, Hodge and Stevens. The new formation flourished and England won their next two games 3-0 before going out to that handball.

 It still brings a lump to my throat watching James Robson tend to the stricken Rob Howley on the Living with Lions DVD. Hard to imagine the devastation Rob must have felt, the management as well. Still, no harm done to the team as in came Matt Dawson to dummy half of South Africa in the first test.

 In the 2003 6 Nations, England had been stodgy in their opening games. Worse, attacking force of nature Jason Robinson was injured for the visit of Italy to Twickenham. In stepped Josh Lewsey to full back. Lewsey was outstanding, and kept his place in the team, shunting Billy Whizz to the wing, from where he scored that famous try in Sidney the following November.

Unlucky injuries – where injury just sucks:

 To have stood any chance on the 2005 tour, it was a necessity for the Lions to have three key players: Dallaglio, Wilkinson and O’Driscoll, at full form and fitness. All three were crocked before the first test was finished.

 Any injury to Jonny Wilkinson since 2003.