Rod
The ELVs played in the South are different to those played in the North The English players had plenty of time to get used to them with their club rugby It was the south who had to adapt. Also when England toured NZ the old rules applied so NZ had to adapt. So no excuse re the ELVs

Gareth Williams, Powys,

Wales I think is the only NH team competitive with SH teams at the breakdown. The result was three close games with SH teams and 1 win. Wales is the only home nation team aiming to lift their game plan, technique, and intensity above that of club rugby - they are a shoe in for the 6 nations.

George Kuru, Jakarta, Indonesia

It is now clear that martin Johnson has absolutely no credentials as an international rugby coach and that brian Ashton should never have got the sack. There are too many English forwards who are past their sell-by date as well. It is not looking good for England who will have very few British Lions in the summer at the current rate of progress

Keith Price, Luton, UK

Pablo, the Lions have literally weeks to prepare - home sides have had years together - in Rugby more than any other sport the kind of mental connection you have with your team-mates is probably more important than individual talent. Look at Ospreys/Wales for evidence!

Edward Smith, Ely, UK

Stephen Jones wrote this year
S.A have only to turn up to win the 3N's
Super14 & 3N are rubbish while the G.P is proper rugby
Hardly any of the AB's would make the GP
The Aussie forwards and scrum are useless
and so on
WRONG WRONG WRONG. If he were a politician he would have to resign

Gareth Williams, Powys,

Jones's obsession with the Lions is over the top. The best from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland versus the best of a single, much smaller nation, yet it is heresy to criticise these matches. When can a combined Trinations & Pacific nations team have a crack at England?

Pablo, Edinburgh, UK

The ABs have been settled since year 0; we need to get to same state of constant evolution, gradually bringing in one or two players, continually winning, rather than 'revolution and hope'. Martin Johnson has to be given time to get to that state which we will then keep ad-infinitum (hopefully!)

Jon, Sandwich, England

Why has nobody mentioned that the Southern Hemisphere teams have had several months to get used to the new ELVs?
England have only had 4 games under the new rules.
It took the premiership teams 6 or 7 games to get used to the new laws.

Rod, Oadby, UK

It's all very well Stephen Jones saying "the future is now"....but who would he pick for England that wasn't playing on Saturday? The fact is that our best players were out there, bar one or 2 arguable selections. There is nobody else. Talking of gym monkeys, I am not convinced by Tom Rees at No 7.

JPM, Boston, MA

Stop whining and count your blessings - the English football team has been a work in progress since 1966

duddles, Sydney, Oz

Sadly the choice should have been Jake White with MJ working in the coaching team. JW worked with SARFU and anybody who can do that would manage England - no trouble.

John, Melbourne , Oz

JH and DC brought through a hard school (?) at Wasps by IMcG and SE and producing (according to SJ) our finest fly half, ho ho, and our finest fouler (sorry, back row) ho ho; god help us. Tis you that should get off your horse and get a grip on reality SJ my boy; journo-arrogance! Hands makes sense!

countryboy, bournemouth, uk

Rob Andrew was always the politically correct choice, but the absolute wrong choice for winning rugby. He managed to make mediocrity into an art form at Newcastle and had a playing reputation of being a safe right boot. So how can we expect anything more than underachievement at a national level?

Miles, Georgetown,

Eng 2003, 20 points better than Aus 1999? That's rubbish. England would have struggled to score a try (against possibly the best defence ever), the forwards would have had a mighty battle and man for man the 99 Wallaby backs were simply a different class. Silly comment SJ. Andrew, Canberra

Andrew, Canberra, Australia

As long as you are preoccupied by the haka you'll never beat us. You are using it as a cover for a woefully inadequate team. We don't care what you think of the haka. It's ours and whats more we have a winning team. (Don't go on about the RWC. That's another red herring.

Bill Brocklebank, Cambridge, New Zealand

The best rugby book I have read records all of the AB' s losses. It is also the shortest......it only has three pages:)(Tongue firmly in kiwi cheek)
Actually, the greatest rugby book of all time was the book "Endless Winter" circa. 1993, written by none other than SJ. Fair play boyo!!

John, Aspen, USA

You ask a lot of questions, SJ? How about this one: when are they going to ask Sir Clive Woodward to come back as top man?

He would be so much more effective than Rob Andrew. In fact, my 91-year old gran would be more effective than Rob Andrew and she can't even spell "rugby".

Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one,