I still think that Jonny likes living in his own confort zone, and the worst decision he has made is not all those dreadful kicks straight to the Scottish back three at Murrayfield but rather to stay at Newcastle Falcons for the rest of his career.
Come on man - where is your ambition?
If Jonny wants to reclaim his place in the England team, he needs to play at a successful club with a big pack that will give him the opportunity to take chances. That's not a description of Newcastle at the moment!
It doesn't even have to be Wasps, Leicester or Gloucester but it should be a team at leasst in the mix for a place in the Heineken Cup where he can be tested against the best in Europe more regularly than his England starts.
As for the coaching the obvious answer is get someone who can select, play to a game plan, has been successful at club level, and will be respected by teh current set of players. Sorry Harlequins but "step forward Mr Dean Richards"!

Peter Davis, Bristol,

Is Jake White still here in the UK & would he be interested in taking over from the beleagured & resigned Brian A?

Maybe UK would start winning for a change...

John Rellie, Bicester, UK

there must be more to the way selections are made than the simple statememts made, ..... ..... what is Andrews doing ? BA didn't choose his coaching team so do they get on or as I suspect is there conflict ?
Come on guys - get it sorted.

Baz,, Bournemouth,

When will everyone realise that the problem with the English Rugby/Cricket/Football team are all one and the same problem......and we have over the last week heard all three as being lacking in ambition.......
Well it's quite simple all the ambition/guile/flair has been coached out of us since an early age.
No wonder we can't win anything, any player with any natural flair and talent is quickly stamped on at an early age............Must conform....too cocky......too ambitious.....
Many sportsmen have heard these from coaches over and over again until any idea of doing anything 'Campese' like would be tantamount to taking lague with the devil.
My experiece of rugby in Australia/France/Fiji where
There they actually encourage flair/ambition/.
It's these types of people who win games...the sportsmen who live outside the box...that's what makes them great. DON'T coach this out of our young kids, and maybe we will have national teams in the future that are not just one-dimensional.

Philip, Madrid,

I think the problem is more to do with the personnel than Ashton - the reason he kepps plumbing for Vainkolo, Wilkinson is they are the best of a poor bunch. There are no leaders & players with enough about them to boss a game hence the relaince on Wilkinson & why not stick with Vainikolo - he's new to Union and has everything to gain. Whats the alternative - Lewsey who after winning the WC is just cruising to retirement....Tait - a stickboy who apart from 1 break in the WC Final is poor...JSD - I actually feel he should have played more but is now an average player....and as for cipriani - the bloke has an ego but has not delivered and against Italy made more severe mistakes in 10 min than JW did in 80 min we weather rugby.....bottomline is you can have the best coach / manager but if the players aren't good enough you ain't gonna win

Ade, hertford,

I'm afraid Ashton has completely lost the plotl. Firstly his selections in this years 6 nations have been baffling - conistently picking players that are out of form when there are a number of clearly talented players playing brilliantly for their clubs (eg Simpson Daniel) which he chooses to ignore. Secondly following a number of games in 6 nations which England have completely failed to compete he makes very few changes and threatens last chance for a number of players. Following the shambles at Murrayfield - he makes only 1 change!

Neil, Bristol, England

How foolish does the decision now look to let Shaun Edwards slip through your fingers, offering him the Saxons job, and you still have BA at the helm?

Taxi for Ashton!

Stephen Yandle, Caerphilly

stephen yandle, Caerphilly,

My opinion of Ashton as a coach worsens every week. I fully agree with the decision to drop Wilkinson, but how can Ashton possibly justify making only one change to a team that were trully awful on Saturday against Scotland. Does he watch a different game to everybody else? Does he have his own brain or simply follow what some facets of the media say? RFU...please, please , please get rid of this idiiot!! He is ruining us! Get a decent coach in instead, or even a half-decent coach, because this guy has been found out for the incompitent buffoon that he is!
What do some players in the club game have to do to be included in the team? What do some players have to do to be dropped? Balshaw, Vanakolo, Noon, Easter, Shaw, Vickery all come to mind after Saturday's showing. It's time to stop picking players on reputation, at least then we may see some desire and passion in the White shirt, instead of lumbering fools who have absolutely no fear of the consequences of playing badly.

James, London,

Let's face it, Ashton only selected Cipriani for the last match inthe face of media pressure.The coach, rightly or wrongly, obviously felt that the lad was not ready to start a match at this level.
Now, by making just the one change and ignoring the pathetic performance of at least 10 other players, he has a get out clause.
Unless DC wins the game single handed, Ashtom can say "I told you so".
Like his predecessor, this man is very good at club level, but out of his depth internationally.

Danny, Ashford, Kent

I can understand why Jonny has been dropped after kicking away all the slow ball that England managed to win. What i cannot get my head round is why Balshaw is still in the team?
We must have a better option at fullback. Balshaw is the weak link in the side (in any side he plays in really).

Grant, Bingley, West Yorkshire

I could understand Jonny being dropped if the rest of the 14 players on the pitch played a blinder, but unless I was watching a different game to Brian Ashton, that wasn't the case. I don't think Cipriani would have made a blind bit of difference last weekend and to pin on it Jonny, which is effectively what is happening, is unfair to the player he was, is, and will be again.

I've never felt strongly enough to add to these comments before but this to me is unjust and can't go uncommented on.

Nathan, Portsmouth, UK

A Newcastle back line??? + a Tongan. Whatis going on here/
Simpson-Daniel, Hipkiss, Hodgson....please use a bit of imagination BA, what about a change in the forwards..they were hopeless..captaincy?? Nice bloke, but you dont see him inspiring (or shouting) at his players to get a grip a la Johnson!

MIke Crisp, Gloucester,

It's the Robinson - pin the tail on the donkey - selection lottery again. Hodgson on for a short spell, then dropped from the squad. Persevering with an uninspiring Captain who cannot manage the full game. Ignoring several in form players in favour of those who exhibited utter failure last weekend. But I don't blame Ashton, or in the past, Robinson. These guys are excellent in their core strengths, Robinson has begun to prove this again at Edinburgh. The core problem is the RFU's repeated mistake in assuming a guy in a supporting role can do the No. 1 job. Time and time again this approach has shown it's failings. Not only in Rugby. Look at Football this season. No.2 at Bolton promoted to the top position - failed and dismissed. Same again at Wigan - failed and dismissed.
So why do Baron, Andrew, and Co insist on repeating this well worn mistake?
They must now be deeply regretting their inability, allied to professional cowardice in not taking the initiative after the world cup.

david, Southport,

Balshaw seems to be an automatic selection. Vickery seems to be an automatic selection.

Why?

Martin, London,

Yet again, Ashton completely fails to grasp the magnitude of the problem - on the upside, this is almost certainly his swansong.

Andy Dawson, Crowthorne, Berks, UK

It is a shame that Ashton didn't look a little closer (like in the mirror) when deciding what was the main inhibiting factor in England's performances (or lack thereof) to date. But good luck to Cipriani - I hope he goes well!

Jason, Doha, Qatar

Jonny, has been a world class player and a fantastic ambassader for british rugby. However, I feel he has been below his best form of late. His basic speed, especially for a fly half has beem reduced, proberbly due to past injuries. Like Mike Catt before him, he should consider playing inside centre, where he has more time to consider options. This would also give england a second kicker option.
Best of luck to the best fly half of his generation.

Allan Edwards, Rassau, Wales

Two number 10's on the pitch, two on the bench and one scrum half in the entire squad !!!!!

jonners, weybridge,

Dean Richards would be a great choice for coach. Get him on board. When Sir Clive Woodward went, I kept e-mailing friends to say England should move heaven and earth to get Warren Gatland. People at the club I follow, Wasps, said: 'Be careful what you wish for. ' because he would poach Shaun Edwards. But perhaps Gatland would have persuaded the Twickenham suits to let him work part-time as he is now for Wales. I'm rooting for Wales, with their 'Wasps' management (including Rob Howley) on Saturday.

Clive Goozee, Bournemouth, UK

Jonny has been operating behind a back row and a scrum half that haven't created many opportunities for him, so to an extent he's being scapegoated here. Having said that, his kicking game hasn't been good, and seeing that the Championship is now over, it's a good opportunity to give him a break and take a look at Cipriani.

Bob Yule, London, UK

Ashton is obviously bereft of ideas, time for him to move aside and let someone else take up the reins.
But will the RFU accept a person who is not a yes man, someone who might point out the failings of those further up the RFU hierarchy?

Chris, Cambridge, Cambs

One player, especially Jonny Wilkinson, does not make a bad team.

Englands inadequate performance is down to inadequate management and coching and it has been fthat way or a long time. There were many worse players than Wilkinson against Scotland. Sorry Brian but you're like a rabbit in the headlights and failing miserably.

Even if England improve on Saturday, which is not guaranteed, the management and coaching still needs sorting in the longer term.

David Pattison, Edinburgh, Scotland

DiD JW have control of the English pack at the weekend, no, to just say he was to blame is wrong. Yes he may have had a bad game and yes it may be time to try new blood but we lost the game at the weekend because we could not secure ball from the forwards. Watching them stole around the pitch like lost sheep was terrible. Gone are the days when they were a unit that hit the opposition as one. The whole team seam to lack inspiration. I think we need to change coach as he is not getting them mentaly ready for the games. We have got some world class players and at the moment I have seen better on a Sunday morning at Bletchly Rugby club.

Will, milton keynes, England

A complete lack of consistency in BA's selection policy is going to be his downfall. Time to go fella. Mr Andrew, assuming you also still have a job, please remember the skills and experience of a certain Mr Dean Richards. I, and many others are certain that he is one of the few Englishmen who can get our National side back into winning ways.

Sean Hughes, Porsmouth,

can we all say it now?

can we?

I'll say it if no one else will ...

the king has no clothes.

job, London,

Wilko's axing is right but for the wrong reasons. Again, Ashton has got it wrong. Other players let England down in the Scotland match. Many were spineless, gutless, bereft of ideas or fight. Poor technique and organisation too.

England needs a new generation in more than the fly half position. There are new generation coaches who would do much better than Ashton who plays the role of McClaren while we need a Capello. We must rebuild the pack with players like Tom Croft coming in. Above all bring in young players who can learn the new facets of the game and hone their skills.
One final point: habitual kicking downfield a la Wilko and Balshaw is a form of cowardice. Would Arsenal or Man U deliberately pass the ball to their opposition?

leigh vernier, riyadh, ksa

Being old enough to have seen Barry John and Phil Bennett in their prime and having watched Danny Cipriani play since he was about 10, I think that this lad is likely to be one of the best fly halves the game has ever seen.

Phil Wade, London,

I cannot believe he only dropped Wilkinson. With the championship gone why not try some more new blood and slap the so called "on field leaders" for not doing their job last week - Vickery, Easter, Shaw, Borthwick and Balshaw (who, oddly,, probably had his most confident game) etc.

Andy , Peterborough,

the root cause of englands failure lies at the leadership both in the stands and on the field.
surely if clearly the coaches are not getting it right then the captain then either tells the coaches or leads a caucus to point out the problems.
somebody stand up and query the selection policy and acheive a logical explanation of the reason for the newcastle back line, full back and our powerfultongan.

john haydon rowe, javea,

Ashton is trying to take attention away from his own failure to motivate a talented team. The team has no real game plan and a captain with no leadership qualities. Ashton needs looks at the whole picture and not for one scapegoat to try and placate the media.

Pete Thompson, Sherborne, Dorset