Has Johnson been bold enough?
Posted by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
dannycoyle
dannycoyle
Danny Coyle
Danny Coyle is Deputy Editor of International Rugby News. Before joining IRN he worked for a student magazine, various construction magazines, a mobile phone magazine and a reputable off licence chain. Since joining the magazine full-time he has watched a man race a cheetah, undergone cryotherapy and slept in some of the ropiest hotels in Paris
The saying much popularised by sports coaches, marketing men and amateur philosophers is that if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same result.
The question following Martin Johnson’s selection for England’s second game of the Six nations, is whether he has done enough different to expect a different performance from his players in Cardiff.
If you think that some of the criticism following the debacle at Twickenham last Saturday was over the top, it wasn’t.
England were desperately poor and would not have won so handsomely had Italy’s coach not had a brain malfunction in his scrum-half selection.
James Haskell aside, England had no one in the forwards who looked remotely like breaking the gain line and in the backs they combined well just once to execute a move properly that lead to Mark Cueto’s try
Johnson has acted to rectify the line-breaking problem by picking two stronger runners. Mike Tindall is not only better at getting behind defenders than Jamie Noon. His skill set as a No.13 is far advanced and he is an improvement in that area.
Joe Worsley, the marmite of English rugby, at least provides more bulk at openside flanker than Steffon Armitage who wasn’t trusted to carry the ball as he is at his club.
When he did get the chance, he struggled to impose himself physically against the likes of Sergio Parisse. You can hardly blame Johnson for cringing at the thought of what Andy Powell might have done to him. Worsley should not be so pliable.
Powell has set the benchmark in the championship for the way a back row forward should carry. The Welsh No.8 ran hard, from deep and made dents in everyone he came into contact with, as did centre Jamie Roberts.
The rest of the England side has been retained, probably wisely in most cases given the paucity of his options elsewhere, but from one to fifteen, the man most in need of a big performance is Steve Borthwick.
He needs to find that same depth and angle to his running that used to make his manager such an effective runner in amongst the muck and bullets, he needs to burst through someone on the fringes of a ruck and plant his flag beyond the Welsh rearguard. Do that, and others will follow him.
If there is one thing Johnson and his coaches need to focus on in training this week it is rediscovering that hard, brutal edge that has been lacking from their carrying since he arrived.
Find it not, and a hammering awaits.
The question following Martin Johnson’s selection for England’s second game of the Six nations, is whether he has done enough different to expect a different performance from his players in Cardiff.
If you think that some of the criticism following the debacle at Twickenham last Saturday was over the top, it wasn’t.
England were desperately poor and would not have won so handsomely had Italy’s coach not had a brain malfunction in his scrum-half selection.
James Haskell aside, England had no one in the forwards who looked remotely like breaking the gain line and in the backs they combined well just once to execute a move properly that lead to Mark Cueto’s try
Johnson has acted to rectify the line-breaking problem by picking two stronger runners. Mike Tindall is not only better at getting behind defenders than Jamie Noon. His skill set as a No.13 is far advanced and he is an improvement in that area.
Joe Worsley, the marmite of English rugby, at least provides more bulk at openside flanker than Steffon Armitage who wasn’t trusted to carry the ball as he is at his club.
When he did get the chance, he struggled to impose himself physically against the likes of Sergio Parisse. You can hardly blame Johnson for cringing at the thought of what Andy Powell might have done to him. Worsley should not be so pliable.
Powell has set the benchmark in the championship for the way a back row forward should carry. The Welsh No.8 ran hard, from deep and made dents in everyone he came into contact with, as did centre Jamie Roberts.
The rest of the England side has been retained, probably wisely in most cases given the paucity of his options elsewhere, but from one to fifteen, the man most in need of a big performance is Steve Borthwick.
He needs to find that same depth and angle to his running that used to make his manager such an effective runner in amongst the muck and bullets, he needs to burst through someone on the fringes of a ruck and plant his flag beyond the Welsh rearguard. Do that, and others will follow him.
If there is one thing Johnson and his coaches need to focus on in training this week it is rediscovering that hard, brutal edge that has been lacking from their carrying since he arrived.
Find it not, and a hammering awaits.
Syndicate
