Where now for English Rugby?

English rugby has some issues, off the pitch the administration of the game is a mess with real issues regarding leadership. On-field issues are the subject of this blog particularly a world cup campaign that never got going.

England have always had tremendous expectations in the rugby world cup, a young side was going down under, they were just starting to come into form. Exciting backs such as Chris Ashton and Ben Foden were starting to lead the back line well. The forwards were developing into a tough unit with young players such as Dan Cole and Courtney Laws combining well with the older players such as Steve Thompson and Andrew Sheridan.

What happened in New Zealand was a disaster England never performed well and expectations were dashed. As so often rugby us a simple game that starts in the forwards. England's forward effort never got going. In the first game against Argentina it could be thought that England were on the way up. However off field antics were endemic of the form on the field. I think Martin Johnson was expecting men of the calibre he played with in 2003 and all the way through his Leicester career. Men such as Neil Back, Will Greenwood and Richard Hill. Instead he got a group of children who could not understand the limits of a good behaviour. The fact that they were not willing to accept that the behaviour off the pitch was not good enough showed on the field, People were hiding on the field, when it required somebody to take a lead when times were hard nobody stepped up.

England now have a major soul searching exercise to carry out. It stars with the coach and filters down. Everybody  involved with the world cup has to consider what went wrong and whether they can take an active part in fixing the situation.

Rugby World Cup Late Summary

Many words have been written about the world cup. Not one journalist has said that the wrong team won the tournament. New Zealand were the outstanding team, even getting over the loss of the talisman Dan Carter. They played classic All Black rugby, not the open rugby that they have played over recent years but the pragmatic, hard-nosed rugby associated with the all blacks of old. Richie McCaw was absolutely outstanding as a leader on and off the field, if he had have gone they would have lost the tournament.

As a tournament it was excellent, without a doubt the first rugby tournament where the minnows have competed. Whether they be from Eastern Europe, Pacific Islands or North America. They all competed with distinction and were only humbled by the tournament format.

The traditional rugby powers had mixed tournaments none more so than the enigmatic French. Losing to Tonga in the group to contributing to the excellent final. They were frustratingly enigmatic but that it is truly the French way. England and South Africa had forgettable tournaments worthy of their own blog.

The Welsh and the Irish were unfortunate to meet each other in the later stages of the tournament. The contrast between the two is stark Wales are on the way up with a good young side and potentially a captain who could be one of their greats. Ireland are on the way down with the end of a golden generation of players including possibly the greatest player to pull ona green jersey, Biaan O Driscoll. Australia have still not learnt to scrummage this is limiting the chances they have of winning the world cup.

As a tournament it was a truly fantastic tournament in a rugby mad country that deseves to hold it again despite the IRB having financial concers.

The Minnows of the Rugby World Cup part 2 (The Pacific Islands)

As the group stages of the rugby world cup come to an end it seems appropriate to discuss the group of smaller nations. Samoa, Tonga and Fiji these are not like the eastern European nations or North American nations where rugby is a past time taken up by a small fanatical minority. Rugby in the Pacific Islands is at the heart of village and even national life. There is probably not a professional team in the world that does not have a Tongan, Samoan or Fijian on their books. There is also a number of international sides that are grateful to have a number of these natural born rugby players in their sides.

These countries do not have a fair deal and if the IRB does anything from the enormous funds it takes from the world cup it should protect the Pacific Island nations. These nations could be viable test entities challenging for glory at world level. The Tongans today beat the French which would happen more regularly if these players could get together more often. They are prevented from doing this because they have the demands of their professional clubs to fulfill. What other sport would handicap potentially good sides just because they do not have financial clout?