This week saw English Rugby’s new era begin in earnest when Martin Johnson named his first squad as team manager for the summer tour of New Zealand.
Johnson stuck broadly with the nucleus of squad in place under his predecessor Brian Ashton, but the absence of established names such as Johnny Wilkinson and Phil Vickery through injury and the injection of exciting new blood including Harlequins scrum half Danny Care, London Irish wing sensation Topsy Ojo and dynamic Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley has sparked a giddy sense of anticipation.
In Vickery’s absence, Bath lock Steve Borthwick, an ever present in this season’s Six Nations campaign, will assume the mantle of captaincy. It caps a remarkable turn around for Borthwick, who failed to make England’s World Cup Final squad in October. Arguably the canniest line-out operator in the business, Borthwick’s fierce commitment is sure to be a determining factor in Auckland and Wellington next month.
Dylan Hartley has also come back from the brink, although the youngster darkest days were more self inflicted than those of his captain. Last year he was banned for six months for eye-gouging in a game for relegation threatened Northampton against Wasps.
By his own admission, Hartley was a bit of a “loose unit”. In an interview with Brendan Gallagher in the Daily Telegraph, the New Zealand born hooker explains how he sought help from forensic psychiatrist Steve Peters, the man who psychologically profiled Ian Huntley for the Soham murders investigation. An impressive run of performances from Hartley have helped Northampton regain their Premiership place and he will be a vital unknown quantity this summer.
Robert Kitson rightly urges a degree of caution in his Guardian Unlimited blog. He draws light on the often forgotten fact Johnson has never picked a club side before. However, he commends his knowledge of the game as second to none, stating “his strength, for now, is that he knows precisely who the best players in the country are.”
Drawing attention to the impressive rugby on display in the closing weeks of the Guinness Premiership and the potential of England’s new look front five to cause New Zealand some problems, Kitson not without justification in stating Johnson’s men can make life difficult for the All Blacks who are currently going through a transitional phase themselves.
In his Sunday Times column, former England international Stuart Barnes agreed with Kitson that England have a chance next month and urged Johnson to be bold in his selections. It is a measure of Johnson’s unquenchable drive and ambition when Barnes states a series defeat would be a major disappointment for the 2003 World Cup winning captain.
Kitson and Barnes’ depiction of an England side embarking on an upward curve and an All Blacks outfit in the first throws of decline, without colossal figures such as Chris Jack, Aaron Mauger and Luke McAllister, is an accurate one. The prospect of a Care and the prodigious talent of Danny Cipriani combining in the half-back positions is truly mouth-watering.
However the fact remains that England have been painfully inconsistent for the best part of five years. They got to the 2007 World Cup Final despite this inconsistency, not because they overcame it. Sides better equipped than this current crop have headed to New Zealand with high hopes, only to have their reputations savaged.
If England were to return from the southern hemisphere victorious, it would rank as their finest achievement since they were captained by a certain talismanic second row forward.
May 15, 2008 at 10:59 am
I don’t mean to be rude – but do you honestly believe England have got a hope in hell of even making a dent in New Zealand’s armour this summer?
Yes, England came second to a glorious Welsh side in this year’s Six Nations but there were abysmal. That gruesome game against Scotland gave rugby a bad name, and until the final match against Ireland the English team and management were in total disarray.
As for Danny Cipriani – the new great white hope of English rugby – I’m not convinced he’s quite as good as the hype suggests. He’s certainly not as good as Dan Carter. England should be carefuil not to place too much hope and pressure on young shoulders.
The appointment of Martin Johnson – who won’t even be present in New Zealand due to family commitments – was a great decsion by the RFU. It marks a welcome change in policy – whereby instead of wheeling out ancient heroes of the 2003 World Cup onto the pitch to try and play, the RFU are beginning to employ them as coaches.
England still have a long way to go though – and New Zealand this summer could be painful.