THis quote alone sums up Martin Johnson's approach to England selection as should be read and re-read by any England player hoping for a long career under his Management;

"It's about what you do when you're in there, it's about what you show to the group, how you handle yourself, how you train and the commitment you show," said Johnson"

So much of Johnson's approach is based on how the player behaves, his attitude, his commitment and that counts for a huge amount in his eyes. It has many pluses and is admirable in it's simplicity as a template on which to base a team, but there does need to be flexibility. If we operated this dictum in my day, a certain Jerry Guscott would not have passed the test and England would have missed out on one of it's great players. What did Jerry 'show' the group - lots of attitude, petulance at times and irritability! How did he handle himself, at times very badly indeed and his commitment at times on the training filed was nothing short of a joke! And yet he was  special, and due to that he had to be 'managed' in a different way.

This is my major concern with the Johnson management, the flexibility, or lack of it, in management style. Because Martin was a tough, committed player of awesome ability, he was very easy to manage and he had an intensity of focus on playing and training that could be unerving. However there are players who can produce superb performances, but do not handle themselves in line with Johnson's blueprint (Guscott being one!) Does that mean that they will never get picked, that the management approach is so fixed and unbending that plenty of talent will miss out??

Even in Johnson's World Cup winning team, the likes of Dallaglio and Dawson were characters who liked a laugh, liked a beer - bloody hell Leonard was the king of that - and yet produced sublime performances in the England shirt. They were characters, they had opinions and voiced them and they did not toe the party line - and neither did Johnson himself!

So when I look at the squad, I am happy to see Foden and Tait, relieved to see Lawes still there, but confused to see Ellis? Stunned to still see Banahan, Deacon, Crane, Payne and White still there too?? Is it because they are good squad guys, train hard and show total commitment to the cause? Much as I admire that and agree that it is one of the crucial pillars to squad success, surely the ability to play and make an impact at Test level is also crucial?

And how much to read into the Captaincy vacancy?? I think very little, as I am convinced that Johnson will make Borthwick captain again - he is not a man who likes to admit to mistakes and he is stubborn in the extreme! A little PR exercise to make the media believe he is really looking at the position me thinks.....

So in summary, pleased to see some young faces, exciting talent, in the squad, my hope is that the management create an exciting/ challenging environment that allows them to fulfill and express that talent. Selecting them is just the first step, enabling them to fulfill their potential on the field is the key stage that this coaching team need to crack now...

I know many of you will immediately think there is no way that Cipriani should be anywhere near the England team yet, that he has played only three games, not even full games and one of those started at full back. You may have a point, but just have a little read and see what you think.....

Martin Johnson has had more criticism in the last few months than he had in his whole playing career, and how ever tough you are, and Johno is quite tough to be fair, no one enjoys it or is immune to it. You can not ignore it, however hard you try, because people always mention it to you even when you do not read it yourself. And Johno has to face the media on a regular basis, and they do tend to let you know what they are thinking.... the criticism has been centered around England's poor attack - to be polite - to the ultra conservative rugby they played in November and to the frightening lack of creativity. Jonny Wilkinson played so deep it was almost impossible to attack off his shoulder, and yet he tells us that was the game plan....!!!!!!!!! It has left many, myself included, unable to understand the thinking.

So Johnson needs England to hit the Six Nations with some edge, real bite and intensity and his selection at number 10 will say everything about the thinking, the mindset of the coaches and I believe will give the clearest hint as to what we can expect from England during the campaign.

The candidates are;

Jonny Wilkinson

Toby Flood

Shane Geraghty

Andy Goode

Danny Cipriani

Wilkinson is the incumbent and the points machine that Johnson relied on so successfully as Captain. His defence is still as brave, his passing as crisp, his goal kicking almost as reliable as ever - but there are flaws. His kicking out of hand is way off radar, his reading of a game is strangely naive and as I have said already he played far far too deep, hence England's attack was easily dealt with by the opposition defence. Geraghty would seem to be the answer to England's attacking line up - he plays flatter and is far more instinctive, and yet he stills seems unsure at Test level and as yet is unable to translate club form to the test arena. There are valid questions too regarding his game management as well as the obvious concerns about his defence. Surely Andy Goode, character that he is, has now been put out to stud (some thought!!)

Toby Flood and Danny Cipriani are the two young guns that sum up England's current dilemma and highlight the most important question about this current England management. Toby Flood is the quiet, diligent player, he trains hard, he is popular with his team mates and coaches, he is reliable, he is a good kicker, his reading of a game is good and his defence is good. Toby Flood is good and he plays for Leicester. I do not mean that as a snide comment, it is a fact and it is also a fact that Martin Johnson is being accused of being too Leicester-centric by many rugby brains. So like it or not, it is a factor.

Cipriani is a very different animal. he has attitude - good and bad. He has a high profile girlfriend, he is distant from many team mates, untrusting of many, he voices opinions to coaches and to team mates. And yet he can be brilliant. He is the most potent attacking option England have at 10, he reads a game instinctively and plays the same way so is far far harder to defend against. His kicking is good and his defence is improving. he plays for Wasps, is unpredictable but is the one player who could be special.

What does Johnson do? Does he start with Wilkinson with the trusty understudy Flood on the bench who is in the same mould, but not quite as good as his mentor? That would be conservative, that would conform to the drive to reward players with the right work ethic, players who conform and do the 'right' thing. That would conform to the current environment and to the coaches mind set, and let's be honest it would make man management much, much easier...... BUT, is it the best option?

I watched the Leicester V Wasps game yesterday, and there for all of us to see was the England dilemma. Flood was good behind as dominant pack as you could hope to see. Cipriani was at times brilliant, creating one try and creating what should have been another in the second half. He has real pace, anticipation and is dangerous. he was exciting to watch, even though he had very very little ball, whereas Flood was good. Flood plays to the Leicester game plan, and does it very well.

Leicester does have a huge bearing on England at the moment, through ex coaches, ex and current players and through a similar work ethic. The glaring flaw is that England do not have a dominant pack of forwards, and Leicester rely very very heavily on that advantage. Without it, their game plan can be exposed and that is when you need something extra to break down Test defences. Is Flood that man?

Yes Cipriani is a risk, yes he would require far more 'management' and yet the returns would be far far greater. Whether people like to admit it or not, he has a special talent, and at the moment England do not have too many players like that. The coaching team need to understand that a squad needs a blend of characters/ players, and that winners are difficult to deal with, but when you do the results are so much more rewarding.

it is time for England to throw off the 'cautious' cloak and to start to play, to enjoy their rugby, to fulfill their talent and to start winning. The number 10 selection will tell us a huge amount about the coaches intent....