Moodos threatened to skip the First XV photo for the annual!
More than six weeks after St Boshington’s School for Oversized Louts lost their last cup match, their report cards have finally arrived at parental homes. If the English rugby public are not disgruntled by this stage, they’re a long, long way from gruntled.
In terms of keeping the scandal in the schoolyard – or at least the staffroom – it’d seem that Matron has not been able to stem the bleeding in any form. The Torygraph weighs in with both feet, and while the ‘journalism’ consists of pulling quotes from a leaked report, it makes for absolutely enthralling reading.
Bar Graham Rowntree – “He was fantastic. Everyone likes and respects him and he had empathy with the players” – and Tom Wood – “… Woody [was] playing awesomely in training and in the Six Nations … Robshaw and Wood proved themselves to be the fittest, the strongest and played out of their skin in training, but then they were overlooked for senior players …” – everybody gets it in the neck.
Hit the link to the Torygraph, have a read and leave your comments; this one has legs.
Digging Like a Demented Mole 
“The standard of attack coaching and defence coaching was poor. Substandard to coaching at my club.”
If this is true then how on Earth did they get as far as us. And what does it say about the quality of our players and coaching staff.
Whoops, hit reply too early. Some more choice quotes
“He selected an unexciting backline which likes to run over people”. Understatement of the century.
“Jonny Wilkinson is not an attacking threat any more. We really needed [Toby] Flood because he is the one who bosses the team. Floody was part of the reason England played well in the Six Nations”. What most of the rugby world thought as well.
“To hear one senior player in the changing room say straight after the quarter-final defeat ‘There’s £35k just gone down the toilet’ made me feel sick. Money shouldn’t even come into a player’s mind”. Fcuk me. If something like that was said in jest in a Junior rugby changing room you would eat the head off the guy. Obviously not the £35k, but say the kitty for the night.
A fascinating report. Will be interesting to see where they go from here. By the sounds of it only Johno and Rowntree should ever be employed in the game again.
Wells’ continued employment is a mystery. He took over from Dean Richards at Leicester during the 2004 season [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/english/3860527.stm ] when the Leicester board sacked Deano because he’d only won two Heineken Cups and four Premierships in the last six seasons. I know, shocking record.
He managed to get Leicester to the top of the league in the 04/05 season, but they were absolutely plowed 39-14 in the final by Wasps. Then he gets a job in the RFU’s National Academy, then he gets appointed forwards coach to Andy Robinson for England in 2006 … and there’s no way that Robinson needed a forwards coach, he’s a terrific forwards coach himself. He’s been there ever since, picking Leicester players and blindsides in the No7 jersey.
Christ.
That is one malicious leak. Although some points may have merit, its pretty unfair on any coach to do this. I’d say if you did the same to even NZ there would be players who would give good copy. Did players know this would go public? I’d doubt it. It just looks like a cack handed stroke from the corridors of power. Nick mallet, graham Henry – wise men.
Does lead to the inevitable game of match the quote to who you think might have said it though. I’m gonna say Dylan hartley for pretty much all of them. Although haskell a good bet for the junior rugby changing room remark!
Tins has to keep a princess in the lifestyle to which she is accustomed so he’s my shot in the dark for the 35k. Hartley a good bet, wouldn’t be surprised if Wilko and maybe even Flood had a few choice remarks too. I’m going to attribute the backline selection quote to Floody actually.
Fast Eddie’s agent has said he wants to be the England manager. Who needs Ros na Rún, this is fascinating.
The leak might seem malicious to all of the unnamed players and named coaches who are hung out to dry, but doubtless it came about because there are still rugby-men in the RFU sick and tired of the committee-men playing politics with their game, and it was probably one of those who thought, as soon as I get this, its going to the Times. More to the point, how could a body as seemingly inept as the RFU ever have hoped to keep something this explosive under wraps! Furthermore, a report like this is no good if you cannot trust those in-house to actually remedy the problems it outlines. This is one of those cases where a hyperbolic media overreaction is a good thing… I think.
Andrew refuses to resign even though he admits english rugby is in the pits. Smith does resign after “humiliating” review by players, from the grauniad http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/nov/24/rob-andrew-refuses-resign-leaks
Quinnie on post-WC reviews, interesting stuff. The RFU didn’t even get this right!! http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/1130/1224308334790.html