England rugby team

Whats your thoughts on the way England is playing ? AFTER LOSING SEVEN GAMES ON THE TROT !!!!!!!!
1. Should Robbo go ?
2. Have the players and managers/coachs lost there heart for the game!
3. Who would be a good manager for England - Rob Andrew ??
4. What would you do to improve the team ?
5. Should more be done at grass roots Rugby, e.g Schools, clubs etc ?

 

I long for the games of World Cup 2003. I chewed my fingers to bits during the final.

Though not strictly about the current team, i do agree that more rugby should be available to children instead of presuming they'll all play football. I'd have loved to have played it when i was a sprog, just no opportunities!

 

I don't even think the big man upstairs knows what to do....!

I thought we had it in the bag on Saturday - but the beer(s) obviously clouded my judgement ....... 8O

 

1. YES, YES, YES
2. No, but they are starting to believe their own Hype
3. Dean Richards
4. Sack Robinson
5. Yes

6. Reduce the number of points for a kick from 3 to 2 for all conversions and 1 point for a drop kick
7. Appoint a new Captain - Not sure who, but need a new Skipper

 

Certainly somethings gone awry. I used to love watching Wales beat everyone else, but those days have long gone. I suspect it has something to do with schools being perhaps frightened to teach rugger because of any insurance implications, given their liability for such injuries established several years ago when a public? school pupil ended up paralysed after breaking his neck in school rugger, I seem to recall. That seems to have started a panic in state schools.

When I was at school you played football in Summer and Rugby in the Winter (and getting plastered in mud added to the fun - with mum to do the washing!) and that's what you need to go back to in most boys' schools if there's to be any realistic chance of us competing - a large selection base from which to select promising youngsters to be the rugby names of the future.

Perhaps these days there's also a fear of contact sports?

 

I think the fishmeister has said it all.

 

Agree with everything Fishmeister says apart from you can't have Deano we need him at Quins

 

I always thank whatever greater being there is that I am from Gloucestershire, where everything's the wrong way round! The presumption round here is that you'll play rugby (if you don't like it, tough) and if you even think about a spherical ball you'll be labelled an outcast from society... What is this 'football', it is not a sport I have really come across :wink:

Robinson does have to go (it'd be quite nice if he'd take Corry with him, but hey, beggars can't be chosers!). Regardless of the arguments about England's lack of flair or imagination, he has to go simply from a selection point of view. I mean, Cohen for Christ's sake! :evil:

 

What about THE BIG MAN HIMSELF ?? Martin Johnson (manager), That would be the cream on the cake for the forth coming six nations, then the world cup! ( Not that England will win the world cup, I think the Kiwis have it in the bag ).

I do think that Corry should go !

As for grass roots, most schools dont play for insurance reasons and injurys like what (Civvy) stated, which is such a shame because most of the amateur rugby played now a days,are by people my age, which isn't good for the long term future of the game and most of the youngster's that do play are both unfit and have no real concept of basic Rugby.

 

Was in aus for the final 3 yrs ago and i had not fingers let alone nails!

So bored with the shocking state that England Rugby is in now tho, maybe if women were in charge things woud be different!!!

 

As some will know I am not an England supporter as such but it is a shame, perhaps putting women in charge is the answer

 

As Robinson has stood down, who are we getting? But the team must be closely looked at as they must give 100%. How we won the World cup I don't know! They have never been really good since, the same as the England football team after winning the world cup in'66. Definitely not a woman coach
she would have them in sussies and sequins, look at Matt Dawson when he is dancing!!!

 

Robinson is a good coach but management and selection were not his strong point. Dean Richards is the most obvious candidate. For whatever reason he left Leicester his track record there was superb - they have not done anything special since! He is his own man and would probably like to work with John Wells again but I'm not sure about the other coaches.

Independant/Private schools put more emphasis on sport as they appreciate the life lessons that can be learnt from sport. The state schools in the area where I live still play rugby (only up to Xmas though!) but the teachers are generally not qualified as coaches and, in the case of my son's school, actually get one of the lads who plays rugby for the local club to take training. There is a danger that we will no longer see the kids from the local comp reaching the higher levels of the game (Neil Back, Martin Johnson, Jason Leonard etc) and our future internationals will all come from schools in the private sector - 'pay to play' schools (Anthony Allen - Millfield Old Boy!). In the county youth set ups at the Under 16 level these schools have the say on who is selected to play and the influence of local clubs is marginalised.

 

The reality is that fewer and fewr schools do much real sport trraining. My wifes grandson plays both football and rugby, but not at school.

Football is with a local youth team which is run and supported by the parents either with time or cash. Rugby is with a junior team run by the local rugby club. The quality of training is in general far better than one would see at a school and the childrens (both male and female at both sports) enthusiasm is excellent. As some one who was brought up with school sports teams in some way this is a shame and very much down to teachers militance but the opportunities are there if you look.

Peter

 

I am actually an RFU qualified coach and have completed the a CRB check and the RFU/NSPCC best practice course and am quite willing to coach in my son's school but have been told 'thanks but no thanks' - the team then gets comprehensively stuffed by other schools!!

 

ian, luckily there will always be some input from state schools and specifically comprehensives. A lot of the Gloucestershire age group squads are from local, non public schools. There are a few from grammars such as my old school, but most come from one of their major rivals, St Peter's (defending Daily Mail Cup holders). The GRFU are by far and away one of the biggest providers of players to the England age group squads (possibly as half the England coaches hail from the area - an England U16 and and U18 coach from my old school and an U18 coach from a Cheltenham school - that's at least three). A lot of the players then move on to play at Gloucester (and frequently then move onto Worcester!) e.g. Ryan Lamb, Andy Hazell, Adam Eustace, Mark Cornwell, Brad Davies, Jack Adams, Marcel Garvey, Tony Windo, Chris Fortey and I presume Lee Fortey (to name but ten) all went to state schools in Gloucester and Peter Buxton to one in Cheltenham.

 

Couple of other thing to be taken into account - School playing/sports fields being sold off - competetive sports being frowned upon. Two point I would like to place at the feet of his Tonyness, unfortunatly the rot started before he assumed his presidency/godhood, however the rot started in Labour/Liberal controlled LEA's.

I'm luckly that our local rugby club (unfortunatly League) has just started a youth team so my seven year old is getting a good level of instuction, but best of all the coaching staff are making it fun.

 

Few contradictions here

 

I would like to see Johnson or Deano as coach for England, but time will tell !!

As for grass roots Rugby or any sport for that matter, I feel like -
1. The schools arn't interested in most sports these days, either due to insurance or lack of sports coaching staff in the relavent sport.
2. Also most kids upto and including 18 -20 yrs old are more interested in playstation type games than , going out for a kick about ( Rugby,Football etc), the reason why say this, the club I play at, all the teams are older players with very little young blood coming through and those that do come to play are in the whole very unfit, even with the basics of running, never mind the contact work.

 

Couple of other thing to be taken into account - School playing/sports fields being sold off - competetive sports being frowned upon. Two point I would like to place at the feet of his Tonyness, unfortunatly the rot started before he assumed his presidency/godhood, however the rot started in Labour/Liberal controlled LEA's.

I'm luckly that our local rugby club (unfortunatly League) has just started a youth team so my seven year old is getting a good level of instuction, but best of all the coaching staff are making it fun.[/quote]

Few contradictions here[/quote]

TOWN where I grew up is a league stonghold so please and although I much prefer Union I do have a soft spot for league (stong hint to my place of origin to any league followers uot there), and trust me the 4 lads doing the coaching are not only well qualified but they make sure the kids (under 8 (both male and female)) really do enjoy it especially as the training is indoors at the moment learning the basic they are planning to start outdoor training the new year with the 1st match in March, and they are hoping to arrange for them to take part in a super league opener next season.