Do we love Auntie's coverage of rugby? Or not? Opinions vary wildly. We must
be fair to the BBC (Babbling Broadcasting Corporation). They are meant to
let the pictures do the talking. But the pictures they had to show from Rome
last weekend of England's desperate struggle to beat a brave and helplessly
limited Italy spoke to no one.
Some of us sat down in the evening to watch a re-run of the whole thing. We
gamely tried to absorb the interminable cacophony of spouting experts (and
non-experts) which afflicted their telecast. "Effing shut up!" one
of my milder pals bawled at one stage, as they handed from people in the
commentary box to people on the touchline to people in the studio to the
token Italian to a bloke up in the stand, portentously scanning a bank of
television screens (wonder what was on? The Western on BBC2?). Trying too
hard? Verbal diarrhoea? Whatever, I found it fiercely distracting.
Some of the component parts were fine. People forget how influential John
Inverdale, the presenter, has been in broadcasting. When he first appeared,
he brought a bedrock of total professionalism and on it lay a warm,
different and yet journalistic irreverence which his listeners on Radio 5,
one of his old homes, and others engaged with. He set a sparking new tone.
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It is hardly Inverdale's fault that his legacy has been violated, that Radio 5
Live became a self-adoring, gory, non-journalistic, unlistenable morass of
utter triviality and calls from Reg in Weymouth and Frankie on the M1 on a
stolen mobile. We have to wait all week for Ian Robertson and Alastair
Hignell, real broadcast journalists, to get a word of rugby on.
But Inverdale is excellent and the summarisers in Rome were fine. I must
declare an interest in my professional and personal friendship with Jeremy
Guscott, in which it is possible to see at first hand the professionalism
with which he operates. I also have total respect for Jonathan Davies,
although they are both better when trying not to win the World
so-laid-back-that-I'm-falling-out-the-seat Championships.
In those rare moments when they were not being interrupted, I really enjoyed
the match commentary of Eddie Butler and Brian Moore. They are not
everyone's cup of tea. Some people appear to go for the more traditional
straight-up commentary ("Good afternoon everyone, so good of you to
join us today, and here are the two teams."). Moore's fury at England's
performance in the second half was arresting and clearly no put-on. Neither,
I would say, was the occasional animosity between the two.
But enough. Enough. Why would we want to hear anything else? Cutting away to
Austin Healey in the stand, or finding people in the crowd, or cutting to
the studio summarisers during the match when everyone else was doing fine -
all of it was annoying and superfluous.
So was the inquisition of players afterwards, on air and on BBC Online. At
some stages in BBC interviews with players we were only one step away from: "What's
your favourite colour?" And to allow Steve Borthwick and Jonny
Wilkinson to talk about the England performance as "brilliant" and "fantastic"
was a nonsense.
Independent experts on broadcasting always tell me that the camera work and
technical accomplishments are still way behind those of other rugby
broadcasters. Frankly, I don't want a close-up when someone is haring for
the line. I want to see the remaining defence. Nor am I bothered about a
camera flying over the action like a toy helicopter going wrong. It is
reinventing the wheel, technology for the sake of it.
More questions for the BBC and indeed, all broadcasters. Why is the electronic
rugby media now increasingly populated these days by a bunch of ex-players
who were violently scathing about the media when they were playing? And why
does every match have to have a BBC commentator born in the country of the
home team. Jock does the Scotland game. Paddy the Irish game, Taffy the
Welsh. Journalists are meant to be neutral, for god's sake.
Let's have John, Jerry, Jiffy, Eddie and Mooro. Turn off the rest. Remember,
in broadcasting as well as in rugby, basic skills are everything. The rest
are just fripperies.
The dormant Volcano
How on Earth can a giant Tongan of well over six feet and 18 stone, with his
hair in long, flying braids, remain invisible? There has been one brief
moment in each of the two England games to date that suggested that Lesley
Vainikolo might be able to play. Apart from that, the Volcano has been
dormant and the fact that he has been chosen ahead of Josh Lewsey, who has a
galaxy of talents, remains for me the most dire selection of the whole
Ashton reign.
Where was Big Les when England were struggling in the second half against
Wales, with the focal point that is Mike Tindall off the field and the team
lacking any kind of direction? Where was he in Rome when England lost their
shape completely? It was begging for someone of his physical presence to
step inside, to take the ball from the fly-half or from anyone who was
struggling, to beast the ball up and draw defenders and then release it with
England, at last, going forward. All he did was stand out on his wing.
These days, the best wings trail the play looking for their chance. It was why
Paul Sackey scored a typical Sackey try in Rome after a brilliant supporting
run. It is nonsense to claim on Vainikolo's behalf that he is still
learning. Of course, he has been chosen far too early, but he has been
chosen to play like a full Test cap, and he should start working, and
acting, like one.
Mindless Friday fixture
Tired of being pushed around by TV? The tens of thousands of spectators who
traditionally flock to the Six Nations games have been messed around
increasingly and had their interests ignored by the lottery of the kick-off
time - Saturday, Sunday, early, late. Sunday play in the Six Nations has
savaged the weekend, slashed the numbers who can afford the time to be away,
often needing to take Monday off.
The next abomination is the Friday evening kick-off. Next season's
France-Wales match will kick-off late on a Friday, costing fans either a
day's work, or costing them the whole trip. Shameful. When will someone
speak up for the followers who actually attend matches?
What do you think? E-mail Stephen at rollingmaul@timesonline.co.uk
with your opinion and he'll reply to the best of the letters next week. Just
remember to enter through the gate - don't stray offside
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66
Percentage second-half possession Italy won against England
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The Stephen Jones Debate
Is Ashton selecting on merit? Is he selecting the best available captain?
Ashton is on record stating that he selects Vickery as captain "because
he stuck with me through hard times". I would argue that this is not a
sound reason for selecting a captain. Does Ashton mean that there are other
more suitable, better qualified people who could captain and lead the team
but as those (Lewsey, for example) did not stick with him in hard times he
will not choose them? I believe that he is referring to the World Cup and
the crises in the camp when he is talking about hard times. The England old
guard took charge of the camp, shook Ashton and his fellow coaches and
devised a system to win games. I believe that Lewsey was one of Ashton's
critics and he is not being selected because of this. Sun Tzu, the much
copied military leader, said this: "When a leader is appointed to a
position of authority based on factors unrelated to ability, those under him
become sceptical and suspicious. This inevitably lowers the troops' morale".
He goes on to say that "leadership is everything. Authority must reside
in the hands of those who can lead". Vickery is not worth his place so
how can he lead? During the worst passage of play last week it was he,
Vickery, who took the ball going backwards, ran backwards and threw another
wayward pass! Can anybody imagine Martin Johnson doing this? Then Vickery
was taken off - what sort of leadership is this? Vickery is not good enough
to play or be captain. Ashton selects Balshaw when everybody knows that he
will make mistakes, he will crack under pressure and then probably get
injured. Still he does not pick the best full back in the United Kingdom.
Lewsey is a World Cup winner, Heineken Cup winner and proven champion. A
true last line of defence and great tackler and brilliant finisher. Yet
Ashton does not want him. I submit that the team know that in front of them
they have the wrong leader and behind them the wrong full back. In between
we ask the team to play with confidence: how can they? Barry Bunn
SJ: That is a fearsomely good post, Barry. I do have
fantastic admiration for Phil, and apart from the horrible passage of play
that you mentioned, I actually think he did well against Wales. It was hard
to show leadership from the bench, after they dragged him off. Loyalty is
wonderful but as you suggest, it can be overdone (look at Eddie O'Sullivan's
Ireland selections). I would now go for a rather longer-term captain who is
going to be around for a few seasons, much as I always espouse the "next
match is everything" stance. And Josh Lewsey? I have so much time for
Brian as a bloke but the idea that Josh is not even in the squad when two of
the back three in Rome are vastly inferior players really offends me. It is
appalling. I would play Josh at full-back for the rest of the season.
JW is an icon and has pulled back from the most awful injuries. In those
lean years since 2003 the only thing to look forward to was JW's return. I
am so glad my rugby-mad son has witnessed the JW years and we won't see his
like again for many, many years. The Welsh commentator said it best when
describing JW's bad day compared with his performance against Italy and that
pass: "Form is temporary, class is permanent". MUM and
ALI
SJ: I, too, am glad that my two sons are watching their rugby
in the Jonny era and it is indeed wonderful to see that Jonny has put
together a run of games and his strength of mind and body is a wonder. But,
temporarily perhaps, he is in a whole load of departments of the game
performing way below his standards and he is conspicuously failing to give
the team a tactical shape.
I'm no fan of Mr Jones but it's far too easy just to say that he was wrong
on this issue. First and foremost I am a huge admirer of Jonny Wilkinson and
have to say that he had a fine first half against Italy. His creation of the
first try, in particular, was top draw. However, if we are dealing with
facts you have to admit that Wilkinson's form for Newcastle this season has
been indifferent compared to Cipriani who has for the most part been
sensational for Wasps. Equally, Wilkinson was in general very poor against
Wales and made some poor decisions in the second half against Italy,
aimlessly kicking away what little possession England won. The problem is
that criticism of Wilkinson appears to be regarded as some kind of heresy -
an attitude which is incredibly unhealthy if England are to move on. In the
end I think Wilkinson probably did enough against Italy to justify his place
in the team but who is to say how Cipriani would have fared in that first
half? On the front foot, with his array of attacking skills, he may well
have torn Italy apart. You certainly can't make a judgment based on the last
13 minutes (throwing him on when England were right up against it at that
point was just plain silly from Ashton). It has to be good news that
Wilkinson's position is now under pressure and the debate as to who should
play at 10 for England has to be healthy. Either Jonny will rise to the
challenge and see off the pretender or we'll see an exciting new talent
directing the English game. And don't forget Messrs Geraghty, Lamb and even
Hodgson are also busy forming an orderly queue to stake their respective
claims for the position. Total Flanker
SJ: And I'm no fan of yours, either!. But I agree with your
comments. It is not so much a Jonny versus Danny issue at present, it is
just that Jonny is not playing at all well. Jonny would admittedly be helped
if he and the rest of the team knew what they were trying to do.
In his column on February 10 Stephen Jones refers to the view that Wales
won because England played as badly as "Saxon tripe". This seems
to be at odds with his reporting the previous week that England played well
for an hour then played badly. Anyway who are these Saxons? Does he mean
English people? Whoever they are, they shouldn't speak "tripe" -
that's his job and he is very good at it. Peter
SJ: In three separate England media conferences last week I
heard it said that England lost because of a few minutes of bad play.
Nothing at odds there whatsoever. But thanks for the free history lesson.
What about Stuart Barnes - he hasn't stopped bleating about dropping Jonny
in the press or on Sky. Give it a rest and find something else to write
about. There are 30 men on a pitch surely it can't be that difficult. The
same goes for Sky as well: I've lost count of the times the Jonny-Danny
argument has been had. Anna Charlton
SJ: A fair point, Anna, but don't you think that our Stuart
and Sky are just reflecting a trend? Wherever I have been in the last few
weeks, wherever rugby people are gathered, it is always the first topic of
conversation. But yes, sometimes we do forget the other 29.
"The greatness is declining." "Are we choosing icons or
players?" Interesting comments, and as a person living in what we still
hope is a free society I welcome them. However, the last week has saddened
me for the amount of criticism directed at someone who has served his
country with distinction. A couple of below-par performances (and I would
imagine Wilkinson would be the most critical analyst of his performance
against Wales), culminating in what some have called the worst pass of his
Test career and that is that in the harsh glare that shines from the eyes of
the media. Yes, the performance was poor, but as shown in both second halves
that England have played so far in the Six Nations, the backs are only as
good as the foundations that the forwards provide. Cipriani, who is an
undoubted future world class talent, demonstrated the tests international
rugby puts you under, and this has been where Wilkinson has excelled in his
Test career, and where I believe he will continue to excel. I can't wait for
Cipriani to shine, but perhaps that can come initially as full-back. I
reflect on the lean years since that drop goal in 2003, and the fact that
one thing consoled me when England were not performing. Wilkinson was not in
the side. His return brought back one of the best tactical brains in rugby,
not to mention guaranteed points and solid hits in defence. We do not
necessarily get free flowing, fan-pleasing rugby with him at 10, but we have
got a World Cup to show for his efforts, albeit backed up by a quality group
of forwards. Perhaps the greatness is declining, but that merely makes him
world class. And as for choosing icons, who knows how much his presence
lifts his team-mates, and concerns the opposition. Icons have a definite
power. Still, I've never played international rugby, and have only gone to
watch one international at Twickenham, so what would I know? I'm just a sad
fan, but a fan nevertheless. SADFAN
SJ: Well, you don't write like a Sad Fan, frankly. Can I just
say that past service, however outstanding, is not really a basis of current
selection. I would also doubt that the England team are assessing their
performances very well either, because some of the stuff that came from the
England dressing room after the match in Rome was out of Cloud Cuckoo Land.
However, you are dead right to hint that Jonny is also a victim of a team
that is meandering and a team that has forgotten it's own ability to stuff
the opposition up front and make some space for the backs. It must also be
good to trot out behind a man with such standing. Really good post Mr S Fan.
Stephen Jones is simply another one to jump on the bandwagon after the
Wales game. Stuart Barnes on the other hand simply says what he thinks
people want to hear and likes to be seen to be different no matter what
happens in front of him. JW was superb on Saturday and had it not been for
his faultless first half performance we would have been beaten. The
so-called experts ignored the England pack's alarming deterioration as they
fatigued in the second half and it's no coincidence it happened again on
Saturday. Mr Jones and Mr Barnes could do well to note that without the ball
even the greatest of players (of which Wilkinson is one) cannot perform.
He's not far off but JW is not a miracle worker, he cannot be blamed for
runners spilling the ball, turnovers caused by counter rucking, slow ball,
poor and slow service from 9 etc. One bad pass and he seems to have spent
all week pulling the knives out of his back. In a career of 67
internationals and dragging England through countless close games (two
entire World Cups nearly), Mr Wilkinson deserves to be treated like the
legend of the game that he is. It seems certain people have very short
memories and from speaking to proper "rugby people" these bitter
old men do not reflect the opinion of the "true rugby community".
Mr Jones - categorically wrong. Anonymous
SJ: At least I had the bottle to put my name on the end.
The thing is, that Jonny was never as good as he has been made out to be.
He never was a complete fly half, more a modern version of Rob Andrew. Now
that English fans have seen Cipriani play (for Wasps, rather than last
weekend's cameo) they have seen what a fly half can do. I would rate most of
England's World Cup winning pack plus Jason Robinson ahead of Wilkinson. Rob
SJ: I do think that he probably was as good as he was made
out to be, as a place-kicker, drop-goaler, tackler, icon, and as a
courageous player who was ice-cool in the warmest moments.
What's the matter with Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes? Are they jealous of
Jonny or something? Dee
SJ: Yes Dee, both of us. He has the looks, the girls, the
status. All Stuart and I have are bigger salaries. But I can't give you a
fuller answer to "what's the matter with Stuart Barnes." I'd be
here all week.
As in all rugby loving nations one's hero can turn into a villain over the
course of two Saturdays. Francois Steyn became the hero in last year's
Tri-Nations when he slotted two late drop goals to save the Boks from defeat
against the Wallabies. One week later the public was calling for his head as
he had fumbled a pass against NZ that led to a try, in a game which the AB's
eventually won. From hero to zero ... a few month's later he was part of a
World Cup winning team. My point is that JW is not going to be around
forever, and the fact is that a replacement should be found and blooded
early on to make the transition as smooth as possible. And let's not fool
ourselves, if JW can't make two tries against Italy he should not be in the
team. England should have put them away. Deon
SJ: Agreed. We all love Italy, they have some great players,
but how on Earth can a massive rugby nation like England finish less than a
score ahead of a team that had NO line-out and NO fly-half? Staggering.
Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes seem to have been on a mission to
prematurely destroy the career of Jonny Wilkinson. With no disrespect to
Cipriani, let's hope that his faltering performance (which could have cost
England their win against Italy) will shut them both up for a while! Somehow
I doubt that it will. It is clear that If Jonny so much as puts a foot wrong
he is condemned and written off as not the player that he was, unworthy of
his place in the team, etc. But if any of his pretenders do the same it is
always a completely different matter. It is time these two journalists
stopped being paid to pursue their prejudices and personal agendas and got
on with the job of impartial analysis. D
SJ: I have no intention, ever, of descending into impartial
analysis, whatever it means. Cipriani's long diagonal kick won the game for
England in Rome and to blame him for having the guts to try something after
70 minutes of pure plodding lacks impartial analysis.
I agree with the positive posts on here. JW is an icon (and I'm a Scot).
Why do these armchair critics obsess with negatives and try to track and
predict the demise of great athletes, only for the opportunity to say "I
told you so"? JW has given his life to the game and was responsible for
the defining moment in English rugby history. Yes, his time will come. When
it does, let his coach be the judge and remind yourself that nobody hurts
more at a poor performance in the shirt than the man himself. Kev
SJ: The defining moment in England rugby history may or may
not have come in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final but if it did, it came well
over four years ago. There is no harm in being a much-loved player, in
whatever position. England have to win their next game. Just in case
everyone has forgotten, I did say that Jonny should have been chosen for
Rome and I would also pick him for Paris.
This area of the e-mail is reserved for your views and boos. E-mail Stephen at rollingmaul@timesonline.co.uk
and he'll either agree, disagree, add some insight or come back firing...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>THE HERO OF THE WEEK<<<<<
MICHAEL BLAIR (SCOTLAND)
One man never makes a team, they say. But in Cardiff last Saturday, Blair did
his best. Never once, in a Scotland team playing with a miserable lack of
ambition, freedom, pace and drive, did the scrum-half give the impression
that he was playing in anything other than a flying team of magical
speculators on their way to victory. He was everywhere, darting in to break
up a Welsh move, trying to get things started around the fringes, almost
pleading with his forwards to give up the doomed, round-the-corner
mini-rucks, cajoling, running, passing. He never once missed Dan Parks, his
fly-half; something of an achievement considering that Parks was so deep
that he was almost out of the back of the stadium. If Scotland had 15
Michael Blairs against Wales, they would really have struggled in the
line-out. But they would at least have shown that they were interested.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The week in 60 seconds
Today:
TINDALL
CURSES HIS POOR FORTUNE
Two weeks from today, Mike Tindall will have a better idea of when he is
likely to play again. The optimist in the England centre hopes that
Gloucester's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster on April 5 may be
attainable, the pessimist that the internal injuries he suffered during
England's match against Wales 12 days ago may take the remainder of the
season to heal.
Report by David Hands
WIGGLESWORTH
IN FINE TUNE FOR LEAD ROLE AGAINST LEEDS
Richard Wigglesworth had been reasonably pleased with his international debut
on Sunday, when he played the last 20 minutes of England's 23-19 victory
over Italy in Rome. Then he boarded the team bus and his day took a turn for
the worse, as he was subjected to the debutant's initiation ceremony of
performing a song in front of his teammates.
Report by John Westerby
LIEVREMONT
BULKS UP SQUAD TO FACE ENGLAND
France, who lead the RBS Six Nations Championship after two rounds of matches,
have bolstered their second-row resources for the match against England in
Paris on February 23. After struggling in the set-pieces in the second half
of last weekend's win over Ireland, Pascal Papé returns along with Romain
Millo-Chlusky, of Toulouse, capped once against South Africa in 2005.
Report by David Hands
Wednesday:
GOMARSALL:
"I WILL BE READY FOR FRANCE"
Andy Gomarsall insists he will be ready for England's vital match against
France in ten days' time, after recovering from the back spasm that saw him
replaced during the unconvincing 23-19 victory over Italy on Sunday.
Report by Times Online
CIPRIANI
CAN WATCH, LEARN AND BLOSSOM AT FULL BACK FOR ENGLAND
Nine years ago, England had a hugely promising fly half of 19 with three
international appearances to his credit who was given his first Five Nations
Championship start out of position, at centre. Now they have a hugely
promising fly half of 20, with two international appearances behind him, and
have the opportunity to do exactly the same.
Interview by David Hands
GATLAND
MIXES OPTIONS TO SAFEGUARD SUPERIORITY
Warren Gatland made a startling assertion yesterday, one that will reverberate
around the world of rugby for some time and may come back to haunt him.
Gatland, a New Zealander who coached at regional and national level in
Ireland and successfully at London Wasps before his appointment as Wales
head coach in November, said that the level of skills shown by the Wales
players was higher than those in Ireland and England.
Report by John Hopkins
Tuesday:
JONNY
WILKINSON: "HARSH WORDS READY TO BE EXCHANGED AFTER FLAWED VICTORY"
Apparently we have been criticised for being too happy with our victory on
Sunday. This is a strange one - we won, we had to dog it out, we had to show
a bit of toughness when we weren't playing that well and when we were
struggling for possession - and we came through it. We won, so of course we
were happy.
Column by Jonny Wilkinson
Monday:
WEAKENED
ENGLAND MIND THE GAP AS BORTHWICK SEIZES HIS MOMENT
Reasons to be cheerful: England won at the Stadio Flaminio yesterday, which is
more than they managed at Twickenham on the opening weekend of the RBS Six
Nations Championship. They staged a lineout display of epic proportions,
which probably made the difference between victory and defeat. Oh, and Jonny
Wilkinson passed 1,000 points for his country.
Match report by David Hands
PADDINGTON
RECLAIMS HIS PLACE IN OUR AFFECTIONS
It was time to see how Jonny Wilkinson responded to a week of criticism. Yes,
people have been criticising Wilkinson after England's collapse against
Wales. Criticising Jonny! Hard to believe, I know: like having a go at
Mother Teresa, Superman, the Queen or Paddington Bear.
Comment by Simon Barnes
Sunday:
CLERC
FLIES IN FOR FRANCE
A game with remarkable parallels to two seasons ago. As then, Ireland scrapped
their way back from what was a calamitous state of affairs early in the
second half to almost pinch the game. In the process, they regained some
self-respect and eased the pressure on their embattled coach.
Match report by Peter O'Reilly
O'DRISCOLL
LEFT TO RUE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
There was an insightful moment deep in the belly of the Stade de France about
an hour or so after the game's end. Ireland's press conference was drawing
to a close when the skipper, Brian O'Driscoll, was asked if he thought the
best team had won. "That's a tough one," he said, playing for
time. "I would say the more clinical team won."
Analysis by David Walsh
WALES
CONQUER THE DOUBTS
They are still building, still rediscovering confidence and they played only
in bursts. The lack of conviction in their finishing cost them the three or
four extra tries they so thoroughly deserved. But Wales are climbing. They
exposed the Saxon tripe that their win at Twicken-ham last week was somehow
down only to a few minutes of poor England play and when they were good
yesterday, they were winningly good.
Match report by Stephen Jones
WILLIAMS
MAGIC LEAVES GATLAND ON A WING AND A PRAYER
With a sidestep in the first half and a swerving run in the second, Shane
Williams maintained Wales' stuttering course towards the 2008 Six Nations
Championship. Two typically magical moments from the lightweight left wing,
two tries which ironically illustrate just how far Wales' new management
team has yet to travel before they can turn their muscular brand of rugby
dreaming into reality.
Analysis by Stuart Barnes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things you need to know about rugby: No 2
PENALTY TRIES
Ireland may believe that their season is back on the rails after a worthy
effort in Paris but they were ludicrously fortunate to be awarded the
penalty try that gave them hope. It is vital to remember that there is no
law under which penalty tries can be awarded for persistent infringement.
They can be awarded only if an offence stops a try that would probably have
been scored.
The fateful scrum was re-set five times, but only one penalty had been awarded
in the sequence so the offences were not persistent in any case. The fifth
scrum went down, Ireland heeled, made some ground, then the scrum started
crabbing and any Irish forward momentum stopped. There was an offence on the
French loose-head side and the Welsh referee gave a penalty try.
He was quite wrong. There was no way that Ireland, in that scrum, were going
anywhere, let alone were on their way to the line. The referee seemed to be
rattled and wanted to end the sequence. He could have sent a French forward
to the bin. He did not. Lucky Ireland.
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