. Johnny was lucky to start the last three games on form, and Ashton knows we cannot move forward with 8 monsters and a bloke that can kick any more. At some point we are going to have to break the opposition line, and with Johnny thats just not going to happen. As for no-one else getting dropped, are there outstanding replacements for anyone else?

Neil Cook, London,

wilkinson did perform poorly,but so did several others,england do not have a game plan without wilkinson involved or performing,the whole team is built around jonnys skills,and england do need a coach that builds a new dimension to their qualities,i agree with simon,jonny is yhe scapegoat,others should have gone before him,by the way,wheres lewsey?

warriner, haworth, englanr

Simon Barnes is spot on with his analysis. Perhaps because of Ashton's stated decency, no-one has mentioned another potential reason for dropping only Wilkinson and selecting Cipriani, following no specific after match comment and a huffy declaration that he was going to have a long, hard think. That reason is that if the rest of the team perform as cluelessly as they did against Scotland then Cipriani's nascent international talent will not be enough to save them and, as the only newcomer, Aston will be able to imply that the general clamour for his inclusion was misplaced. As has been said, the silence of Rob Andrew has been deafening. After a long, drawn out review he retained the status quo and its internal conflict. He then made the ridiculous decision that the Head Coach would appoint a manager, which he hasn't done. It's rather like the Chancellor appointing the Prime Minister! The pro game must take charge. Bacon was complacent after 2003 and consequently lost Woodward.

Rob., Walsall, England

Thank you Simon Barnes, sums up my thoughts nicely.

This 6 nations debacle confirms to me that our rwc wins over the aussies and the french were purely down to the players’ bloodymindedness and sheer will to win rather than the inspirational words and tactics of a modern coach.

Catt and Dallaglio were right all along, why did we ever doubt them?

I'd also like to know;

1. Where is Rob Andrew? He disappears after every defeat.
2. Why isn't Lewsey in the team
3. Why is Shaun Edwards managing Wales?

Al C, London,

Please, whatever happens, don't appoint Jake White as England coach. He took over the worst Springbok side in history, battled borderline-corrupt administrators, and created a whole new team almost from scratch with a vision that saw how each player could fit into an ultimately world cup-winning side. Can you imagine what he could achieve if given the England role where your player infrastructure is there for him, on a plate? Can you imagine if he managed to get them all firing at 100% - powerful forwards, capable of dominating any side on earth. A fleet footed, motivated Wilkson commanding a co-ordinated back line of dangerous runners? I quail at the thought. Leave the befuddled Ashton in place and let the rest of us giggle at the demise of a great nation.

Adrian (South African), London,

Hardly worth adding to the general horror of Ashton and his...erm...'style' of management. England will probably lose, even against the hapless but gutsy Irish. THEN can we have a manager at the helm, not a faffer?

neil french, palma, mallorca

Johnny Wilkinson should have been re taiend and Danny Cipriani should have been in troduced at full back. He is being exposed t oo early in his career and could be damned if it all goes wrong.

Josh Lewsey should have been chose on the left wing instead of the Volcano , who can't play Rugby. That wo uld ahve mant 3 wasps players together who know each other's play. That also seems to be the view of the BBC Rugby Pundit who has more experience than Ashton. Ashton is wedded to Bath Players, whcih is why he is so blinkered about Balshaw.

WE will probably lose on Saturday and O' Gara will pressuri Balshaw and the Volcan and make them run aall over the place,

Derek De Young, London,

I agree with Simon Barnes` analysis, and I would go one step further.Ashton`s decision to drop ONLY JW reflects a weak man trying to appear to be a strong man .He knows that JW will accept his decision constructively and try and understand his motives and will not retaliate in any way.He preys on JW`s good character to feed his own ego .This will not always work with other players , and therefore he is doomed to fail as a manager.

Ian McNeil, Roussayrolles, France

Very interesting this morning to see that Simon Barnes, yet again, uniquely amongst the rubgy writers, hit the nail on the head. Equally good to see how his comments have been received, particularly by those who see a total absence of cohesive management policy within the RFU structure, which filtered down on to the Murrayfield as witnessed by no game plan, no leadership, no vision, no flexibility and no tries!

Wilkinson had a bad game, but who didn't? The pack were slow and lacking in enthusiasm. The backs my be a useful defensive unit but who is teaching them how to attack, how to break drift defences and how to win games. How can it be that Balshaw and Vainikolu are considered to be superior to any other English-qualified "back three"? It seems to be as difficult to NOT get picked as it was in the old cricketing days!!

Out with Andrew and Ashton. Use the skillsand expereince which are available on the world stage. Let us have a tougher approach all round.

Jonathan Wheatley.

Jonathan Wheatley, Surbiton, Surrey

If you were ever looking for a piece of journalism that epitomises "Trial by Media" this is it! Wilkinson is on the bench, not dropped. You have to remember that this is a period of growth. Everyone has to grow into their roles in the new era, including Ashton. WIlkinson's defencive game on Saturday was spot on, even down to the way he covered at full-back (Thank heavens someone does when Balshaw's playing, and Lesley for all his talents is not a natural defensive winger.) However, his kicking out of hand was poor. His decision making on the ball seemed also poor. His justification was an absence of options, but this should have been talked about 10 minutes into the match with people who could step up and provide those options, not in a Wednesday article. Ashton is right at this point to give CIpriani a go, and keep Wilkinson on the bench. Ashton wants England to play heads up rugby and change the pattern of a game on the field as demanded. So do I. Let's see if he can do it.

Mark, Cheltenham,

Ashton is obviously not implying Wilkinson is the only player to blame, he has had a bit of a go at all of them. The point is the two ways to most effect the way a team plays is first to change the captain (and Vickery should definately be gone by now) and second to change the fly half. Our attacking play has been so desperately poor recently, the ball has been getting to Jonny and by the time it goes further the defence is in our faces, 5-10 yards behind the gain line. Jonny is not up to it at the moment, I am not implying that the rest of the team is, but the first things to change have to be the fulcrums. I think the attitude displayed in comparing Ashton to McClaren is appalling, despite my reservations about him as a coach, he has done the only thing that could be done in dropping a player who is, quite simply, not up to it. In no way has Ashton attempted to make a scapegoat of Jonny, in fact I would say that several people here are trying trying to do just that to Ashton.

Simon, London,

If I might put in an outsider's view, as a South African fan: I really don't understand the sense of panic that seems to have taken over English rugby. Yes, you had a bad game at the weekend, but to my mind the team is actually better than the one Ashton inherited just over a year ago. Your pack is better, your backline is (usually) more creative and you've got some very promising youngsters coming through.

In many ways, it's a pity you were so successful at the world cup. Your surprising (and entertaining) progress to the final raised the level of expectation much too high for what is (let's face it) a mediocre group of players. Had you been eliminated in the quarter-finals, the recent losses to Wales and Scotland would not have been taken so badly, and Ashton (or possibly some other coach appointed in his place after the world cup) would have had some leeway to build the side up from the bottom, much as Jake White did with the Springboks in 2003.

Neil, London,

I don't think Wilkinson has been made a scapegoat. Ashton has made a calculated gamble by trading Johnnies bad form in open play and regular points haul with the boot for invention in order to spark our backs. We'll just have to see what happens. As coach he's paid to make these decisions.

Ray, Brussels, Begium

Must change the management before NZ this summer or Cipriani, Haskell, Croft, Geraghty and co will be mullered. It wont be pretty and wont do them any good whatsoever.

So we have Cipriani, but probably still no gameplan. Still a team bereft of the best talents that the Prem has to offer. We must also find a way to get Edwards back from wales. Disaster!

peter, london,

I do agree that ashton is tryig to shift the faluire on to wilkinson, but that doesn't mean that dropping him is the wrong thing to do. Wilkinson has not shown that he is the man to lead the england team. He should be replaced but he should not be alone, there are many others who have had their chance and not taken it. Regan is finished Noon is a water carrier, it is time to clean house.

Ronnie Gilchrist, stockholm, sweden

Ashton seems to have missed the main reason for Englands dismal performance on Saturday. It's not an individuals kicking or penetration of the gain line...this is rugby, a 15 man game where everyone contributes. The chasing of JW's kicks was woeful. Flood and Noon concerned themselves more with arranging a defensive line than chasing the kick and tormenting the catcher. Equally, Sackey was the only other back looking to break the line.
The only direct critisism of JW is his lack of leadership as teh most experienced back. When a game plan is not working players need to change things. The leadership of the whole team is a whole other discussion.

Mark, Chichester, West Sussex

Best and most accurate article since the joke of a selection.

wilkisnon out yes, for now, but just wilkinson?

utter nonsense. a good coach would have either stuck to his guns completly or made wholehearted changes. i wouldnt agree with both, but i could have respected both.

Paul, Nottingham, Notts

Listening to Simon Barnes comments are typical of the English arrogance.. Yes you have good players, but so do other teams in the world..You have self confessed world class players..but doesnt everyone.. You turned up at Murrayfield arrogant as usual.. Got two penalties, opportunities to put points on the board, but with little respect for the opposition and going for the points, got greedy and went for lots of points.. Understand the enemy.. Scotland did and got it spot on.

david Ellis, Bury St Edmunds,

I completely agree with Simon Barnes, this is an excellent article. Ashton is just a nice man but he doesn't have the ruthlessness nor the will to lead the England team, and he should be sacked with immediate effect. What i find even more embarassing is that Rob Andrew did not have the courage to sack Ashton on Sunday after the worst England performancr i have seen in the last 30 years. I am English and I hope Ireland thrash us at the weekend to seal Ashtons fate. England have been nothing short of a disgrace during this six nations and Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt must be laughing all the way to the book store.

john, London,

I agree 100% with Simon Barnes analysis.
This is classic macho management as exemplified by the Steve McClaren with David Beckham and I would argue by Glenn Hoddle with Paul Gascoigne. 'Its not my fault and by the way I am big enough to take the big decisions' And that is b rather than a!
Great coaches take responsibility, they don't sit on the bench shaking their heads and wringing their hands.
The England performance against Scotland was poor from 1 to 15 with no exceptions. To drop only one player shows Ashton does not know where to start to put things right.

David A, Dubai, UAE

I agree with SB on almost every point. Ashton can't hack it in a position this senior and he's obviously influenced by his boss (if Newcastle are good enough to supply England's 10, 12 and 13 shouldn't they be higher than 10th in the premiership?). As a Wasps fan I am delighted to see DC get his chance he is a real talent who will play for England for many years to come (under the captaincy of James Haskell!) however it is completely unfair to blame Jonny alone for Saturday's abject perfromance. I agree that this decision is all about Ashton saving face. However Mr Barnes the one point that I take issue with is that Jonny did not win the 2003 World Cup, sure he kicked the drop goal but what of Martin Johnson's leadership? Will Greenwoods tactical nous? Jason's try in the final? Lawrence Dallaglio's lionhearted perfromance against France? Thommo's lineout throwing (ok maybe a point too far!) Wake up RFU we have the players to win in NZ in 2011 but we won't with this management team.

Lozzer, london,

Barnes is not exonorating Wilkinson - he clearly states that Jonny played very badly on Saturday.

The point he is making is that Ashton is implying that Wilkinson is the ONLY player to blame, which is an enormous misjudgement. At least half of that side that played on Saturday deserve to be dropped (Jonny included, but also Balshaw, who must know some very interesting secrets about Ashton to keep getting selected!), and Barnes article echoes my immediate reaction to the news yesterday - that Ashton is simply trying to make a bloody minded point (I hadn't immediatley thought of the McLaren parallel), and all this will do is create more resentment, and is no way to manage a team, and certainly won't improve England's chances of winning a match, let alone any tournament or Test Series.

Graeme, Bath,

Fly-half is the key position in any rugby team. If he struggles the whole team struggles.
Jonny had a poor game against Scotland and deserves to lose his place. Danny Cipriani has been in fantastic form all season and has been pushing for England selection.
Cipriani deserves his selection on merit!!

Tony Philpot, Kenilworth, Warwickshire

What a load of rubbish. Barnes is effectively exonerating Wilko for, lets face it, four full years of mediocre to terrible performances (on those few occasions when he has been fit). Should we never drop Jonny, no matter how poorly he plays? You could argue that Ashton is weak for not making the move earlier, or for not making more widespread changes but certainly not that he is weak for making the move at all. If you do not to realise that a fly half is responsible, to an extent, for all play outside of him, then I have to seriously question whether you have ever laced on a pair of boots. And to be honest, its not only the play outside of him that the fly half influences. No pack of forwards can constantly track back behind the gain line to win ball or chase pathetic clearances. My favourate memory of one of Barnes's articles was one published just prior to France trouncing New Zealand in the world cup semi's; "There will be no glorious (triumph), New Zealand will win").

Simon, London,

Will Carling was right;Ashton is a coach not a manager.Andrew should have paid more attention to what the likes of Dallaglio and Catt were saying after the World Cup.Some of Ashton's selections seem pretty strange.Why is Lewsey not in the team,for instance and he seems to favour rugby league players who haven't done enough in union.First Farrell now Vainokolo.Like Robinson he is clearly out of his depth and should be replaced at the end of the Six Nations.We've now had five seasons of mediocrity.Enough is enough!

Dave Robins, West Drayton,

This is the best article that I have read on this sorry subject

It wasn't Wilkinson's best day but it also wasn't most for most of the team - there was wholesale lack of leadership up front and teamswork was sadly missing.

Cipriani will most probably become a great player, but not yet, the team needs stability not tinkering. Ashton has lost the plot but, more importantly so has Andrew, who continues to be silent in his role as Elite Director of Rugby

Time to bring in either Jake White or Martin Johnson. They are both great leaders who command the respect of their squads.

Jon , London,

That coach is a headless chicken and dropping Jonny Milkinson now just proves it - how can you go from hero to zero in just one game? How can Danny Cipriani go from villain to great white hope within one week? Also, a head coach need to be articulate and shouldn't hide behind a facade of "Me, I know what It' s all about but I'm not a blabbering Southerner." Strong and silent? No, weak and confused.

Delphine, Oxford,

I agree with many of the comments made - to make a scapegoat out of JW is a sign of weakness on the part of Ashton. I don't know what games Ashton has been watching, but there are several other players who should have been in the queue before JW - Noon, Balshaw, Vainikolo, Flood and much of the pack.
As for putting Cipriani in such a key position for what is going to be a tough match with the Irish desperate to gain something from this years 6N........

Chris, WESTGATE ON SEA, UK

I do think that Brian Ashton is unable to lead a national side. I thought he might be able to do the job but now it is obvious that he can't. Righthand man he is. However, I think he is a decent man and is not scapgoating JW. I believe he thinks that this is the right thing to do. He's wrong of course, Vickery, Shaw, Lipman, Flood, Noon, Vainikolo and Balshaw could all have taken a fall and probably should.
But I tihnk Ashton feels that despite the poor foward performance, JW could have had a more effectual game and his form since the world cup has been inconsistent. Keeping the rest of the team is his way of showing faith, giving them another go and is sticking to is ideas of evolution rather than revolution. It might just be the case that a fly-half sat flat trying to create rather than kick is the spark they need.
One more thing in his defence before pensioning the old man off: Jon Wells is the forwards coach and I bet he's had a say. This team needs rebuilding. Top to bottom.

Steve Norman, Cheltenham,

BD Mathers, you also seem to have missed the point in that fly halves are not and should not be major try scorers. Like the midfield in football and hockey, centre in ice hockey and point guard on basketball, their job is act as the playmaker and distribute the ball. As James puts it, the focus is on the quality of the decision making by Ashton. One swallow does not make a summer not one poor perfomance at Fly half a poor team.

John, Knutsford, UK

Thank you Simon for yet again putting into words what many of us feel. Ashton has the look of a rabbit in the headlights and the bewildered face he pulls at each match shows he doesn't know how to get this England team firing. Don't tell me that we haven't got the players or that he needs more time with them (his latest excuse that things will get better when the new rules come into force) - these players need bringing together as a team not teaching how to play rugby. Watching the Premiership each week shows that we have great English talent - what we haven't got is the leaders on the field to grab the team by the scruff of the neck and drag them to get results if required. Sorry, but thanks Mr Ashton, take retirement and let someone else build this team up....the question is who and I guess thats another line of thought altogether.

Chris Newnham, Rugby,

it is not ashton alone, but also andrew.
the AA axix should be changed.

john haydon rowe, javea, spain

I agree with what Simon is saying. I feel that while Brian Ashton is a good coach I just feel he is incapable of leading this England team. It was grit that got England to the World Cup, not his management. If England are to be a strong force in Rugby again then the RFU need to start looking. I cannot believe they let a man of Shaun Edwards standing be swallowed up by the Welsh.

By the way how many opportunities does Balshaw need to prove himself!

Richard , St. Brelade, Jersey

Dropping Wilkinson was probably the right thing to do, but its near the bottom of the list of things that need to be done.

Alex, Tunbridge Wells,

I have to agree with SB, Ashton is McClaren with slightly less hair. Wilkinson was very poor against the jocks, but on that game alone, how have at least 7 or 8 other players kept their places? If you take the four games played so far, surely Vainikolo, Noon, Balshaw, Vickery, Shaw, and Lipman have had worse championships than Wilkinson. Balshaw and Vainikolo in particular have been awful. Lewsey and Simpson-Daniel were far better options than those two.
Quite simply, as a head coach Ashton cant hack it, he reacts to situations in a knee jerk manner and we know the players like him but dont respect him.
I dont know whether Danny Boy is the answer yet, I'm actually pleased he's getting a go so that we can find out, and I would have advocated this even if Wilkinson were in form, but the manner in which Wilkinson has been singled out is appalling man management. What happens if we lose, does Danny Boy get banished as well?
Jake White, can you hear us? We need you. Jake White, help!

Duncan Murray, Braintree, Essex

BD Mathers you have clearly completely missed the point of the article! Simon Barnes isn't arguing the decision to drop JW, he's questioning the decision making process of a coach who only drops one player after the abysmal performance on Saturday, when a whole load of players deserved to be dropped.
Good article Simon and I completely agree with what you've said. Ashton must go, for the sake of English rugby, and he should take a bunch of players with him, Balshaw, Vianakolo, Noon, Easter and Vickery to name but a few. The club game in England is not at point where we need to consistently pick these players, lets give some of the talented players a go shall we?

James, York,

Couldn't agree more. While I thought Ashton was getting too much stick during the WC - he hadn't had long to manage the team and the team did seem in better shape than when Robinson was managing - his whole handling of the Cipriani affair and now the dropping of Wilkinson have changed my view.

Poor man management all round.

Woodward could be a bit of a nob with his attention to the most minor of details - but he was strong enough to lead the team through a poor first period to win the WC.

Edwards would make a great manager. Why did we let Wales snatch him?

Paul, Toronto, Canada

a world class player he his not. Wilkinson has scored 130 points from tries out of a total of 1849 and he's a flyhalf! Don't make me laugh. With ball in hand he his one of the poorest flyhlaves this country as seen in years. He fails to beat the man, he lies too deep, he can't creat space and he can't bring his backline into the game with any energy or zip.

Chris Ashton at Northampton has scored more points from tries in 25 games than Wilkinson has in his entire career!!! He his that bad but of course he his the blue eyed boy of the middle classes and to broadsheet rugger journos he his an icon.

SB must take off his rose-tinted speccies and smell the coffee. If England want to win with ball in hand instead of the turgid penalty conversion route then they need players who can creat magic with ball in hand and that means finding players who can PLAY rugby properly and NOT choosing players who can kick a ball through the H;s

BD MATHERS, birmingham,

Firstly,Geraint J. from the cricket test side and now this.
'The Divine Marquis' was correct-virtue chastised.
I could go but it's just a reflection of our schadenfreud elimination culture.

Mr Porter, kingston,