IT’S funny how now, one disappointing loss into the Six Nations Championship, we’re finally getting some honesty from someone involved in the England set up.
Steve Borthwick, Jones’ right hand man for so long, has admitted: ‘When I looked at the team in the autumn, when I measured the team and got all the data for the team, we weren’t good at anything. It was as frank as that.’
It was clear to the three blind mice in the corner of Twickenham, so why has it taken so long for anyone to admit it? Why didn’t under-fire RFU boss Bill Sweeney have access to the same ‘measurements’ as Borthwick before? Or anyone in the RFU? Because rather than starting from scratch months out from a rugby world cup, it would have been good to make these changes a few years back.
At times I appeared to be a lone voice criticising the Eddie Jones’ era as it unfolded, the constant picking of players out of position, the blunting of England’s attack and the disconcerting way players didn’t seem comfortable showing off their talents for the national side.
Take Henry Slade, for example. What an absolute play-maker he has been for Exeter. Finding space for others has been his superhero skill. Sometimes with scant opportunity, he has magicked the ball in a sublime off-load for another to score or make key ground.
With England? Hmm. At times he’s been able to display that brilliance, but one pundit the other day suggested he would make the side because of his defence.
Anyone who cares to remember Johnny May in his pomp as a winger remembers the guy that ran on to the ball, put his ears back and hared for the line. With Fast Eddie in charge he put great effort into becoming an all-round player, always busy, looking for work, defending well, supporting others, but seemed always hesitant with ball in hand. That’s not to say he didn’t make valuable yards or score great tries, but he promised so much more. It was if he lost confidence.
And the pack? We expect English packs to dominate. Quite simply, ours hasn’t.
The scrum, the line-out, the rucks…
When Eddie was finally shown the exit door, money still bulging in his pockets and the cocky effluent still flowing from his mouth, there were a few pundits who talked about a great Six Nations opportunity and a good chance of lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy later this year.
Now we get this from Borthwick, who, as most acknowledge, is an honest, sincere bloke, the very opposite of the smoke and mirror approach of Jones.
The RFU has screwed the game royally with its cosying-up to the millionaires in Premiership Rugby, hurting the rest of the professional, and amateur game. It has reduced opportunities for young players to thrive, pulled the shutters down on the shop window that the County Championship once offered and followed the money.
Some of it wasn’t actually there in reality – Wasps, Worcester anyone? And the sanctions for breaking the salary cap really made a difference to Saracens, didn’t they? The RFU continues to show it is putting the core of its job on the back-burner, bullied by the rich and the gobby. How about an emphasis on rugby? Like Scotland showed on Saturday?
I think now we’re getting some honesty from Borthwick about the state of play, we need some transparency and honest from Sweeney et al.
If the fans know the truth, they’ll back England even more. If we’re on for sixth place this Six Nations, let us know. Because if we make fourth, we’ll have something to celebrate. If we’re not going to lift the world cup this year, let’s be realistic that a quarter final berth would be a big win.
In an age of spin, the loss of hope and belief is the worse that can happen.
Stop the PR machine designed to make headlines and paper over cracks. Tell it like it is and let everyone share the journey together – to future success.
mark a forster 