So the dust has settled on the November Internationals, and we have all had time to have a little think and a deep breath - or two!
So where are England, and realistically where can they expect to end up in the Six Nations?
England are not as far down the progress path as many would like, but then again maybe some of those expectations are just unrealistic. England can not fall back on a dominant pack of forwards as they have been able to for the last twenty years, a pack that was capable of sucking the life out of the opposition pack and grinding them into the dirt. Egged on in the past by two effeminate centres! So without that safety net, England have needed to develop a more fluid, expansive game, and this has been the major area of concern for me.
The England attack has been far too predictable, far too easily contained and after three games it is hard to see where progress has been made. The limit seems to be 'one out' rugby, but 'one out' rugby without even introducing any decoy runners or varying running lines - how easy to England want to make it for the opposing defence?? Many critics, myself included, have pointed out that Jonny Wilkinson has been playing far too deep and made it almost impossible to attack off. We then hear from Jonny himself that he is just obeying orders and sticking to the agreed game plan..................???? Name me another backline that attempts to attack from a 10 that stands that deep? Watching the likes of Giteau and Carter, it is immediately obvious that when they hit the ball flat and at pace, options open up for their centres and outside backs. It is basic common sense. So how frightening is it that England's attack is planned around a number ten that sits 10 metres behind the game plan? Martin Johnson has failed to explain it, Brian Smith does not appear in print to explain and it does leave you with huge doubts about the thinking within the England camp.
Having watched the performances, we were then treated to a 'political' press conference by Rob Andrew, which left me seething. I remember Clive Woodward installing that Labour spin King Alastair Campbell on the British and Irish Lions tour in 2005 and thinking that rugby had lost track of what it was and what it was trying to be. The only up side to Campbell's presence on that tour was to provide the players with light relief when they pinched his Blackberry and read the emails still coming in from Tony Blair!! Oh to have had the chance to write some choice replies!!!
Rob Andrew tried to convince us through statistics and spin that our eyes had deceived us and that contrary to common belief England had made progress in the Autumn Test series and closed the gap on the Southern Hemisphere. I am not a fan of politicians, and it was one of the saddest days when the men in charge of the England team turned a review of England rugby matches into what was akin to politician’s bullshitting about the Iraq war or the success they had made of the NHS. Rugby in my sad old mind was played by a certain type of guy, pretty trustworthy, hard, and direct and not one that is into bullshit! I played alongside Rob goodness knows how many times for England and grew to trust him implicitly and we became great mates. I would like to think we are still mates, but at some point when I next see him I will have to let him know that press conference was one of the low points of my time as an England rugby fan.
But strangely all is not doom and gloom in my view, and I do think England could be a dramatically different prospect in the Six Nations with only minor changes. Those changes would have to include the return of Sheridan, if he is in a nasty and uncompromising mood, the inclusion of Shaw and Lawes in the second row, Easter to return at number 8 with his club scrum half running the show behind him. Flutey to add experience and creativity at twelve with either Geraghty or Cipriani at 10, whoever is showing the best form in late January. The over-riding premise would be that the England coaches start to look at how to attack, and not defend with the ball in hand, and that players need to be allowed to express themselves and their talent as they do at club level - Care, Geraghty, Cipriani etc etc. If that mind set can be changed within the coaching set up, and if the players can take on that responsibility, then England will be a very different, far more potent animal in the Six Nations, not the stuttering and blind hippopotamus that we saw in the Autumn.