Ambition 0 Inhibition 1

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 [...]

Return of King Jonny Fails to Turn Aussie Tide

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 [...]

Moody the Man Again?

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 [...]

England Injuries – Crisis or Blessing?

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 [...]

Ah, Autumn Rugby is Back!

As the nights draw in and the condensation starts to form on car windows in the morning, thoughts start to turn to getting the overcoats out of the back of the wardrobe and putting the lawn mower away for the year. Yes, Autumn is upon us, November is nearly here, and November means only one [...]

Rugby World Cup Draw – Will England Escape the Pool?

SO, only three years early, here is the draw for the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup:
Pool A – New Zealand, France, Tonga, Americas 1, Asia 1
Pool B – Argentina, England, Scotland, Europe 1, play-off winner
Pool C – Australia, Ireland, Italy, Europe 2, Americas 2
Pool D – South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Oceania 1, Africa 1
Now, on [...]

England Team for All Black Humiliation

Delon Armitage (London Irish)
Paul Sackey (Wasps)
Jamie Noon (Newcastle)
Riki Flutey (Wasps)
Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
Toby Flood (Leicester)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Tim Payne (Wasps)
Lee Mears (Bath)
Phil Vickery (Wasps)
Steve Borthwick (Saracens, capt)
Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
James Haskell (Wasps)
Michael Lipman (Bath)
Nick Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements
Dylan Hartley (Northampton)
Matt Stevens (Bath)
Tom Croft (Leicester)
Tom Rees (Wasps), Harry Ellis (Leicester)
Danny Cipriani (Wasps)
Dan Hipkiss (Leicester)
Oh joy so it seems more muddled [...]

Between a rock and a hard place

Before the start of the autumn internationals, I said that if we got a win against the big three, we could consider ourselves ahead of schedule.
Three down, one to go and we’ve not even got close to the draw against one onf the big three that I considered a successful campaign.
The game against South [...]

Jamie Noon – Why?

Jamie Noon. I’m sorry, I just don’t get it. Successive England coaches have seen something in Jamie Noon that I just seem to miss. When fit, he is a mainstay of the England squad. Even the mighty, messianic Jonno has handed him the number 13 jersey for this weekend’s clash with the Pacific Islands. Now, it [...]

Realistic Ambitions

What is a realistic ambition for the four autumn internationals?
Given where we’ve been and where we are, a good but bruising win against the Pacific Islanders is a must and if we can somehow get a draw and two narrow losses against the big three of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa then consider ourselves [...]