Morning:
8°c
I have no idea how good this England team are because they have yet to produce a consistent performance in the Six Nations. The defence has been good and, at times, we have been seen as an attacking threat but we have to string together a run of wins to produce the confidence that is missing in our play.
Against France, we have to tire out their big pack and I believe that having beaten Grand Slam holders Wales last time out, they will be a little bit blase coming to Twickenham and be over-confident.
That is why I am convinced England have a great chance of winning - as long as that performance level continues to rise.
England are in a classic chicken-and-egg situation because they are not performing to their potential as they lack confidence and the only way to boost self-belief is to get a win.
In the period before Clive Woodward took over as England manager, we used to go out with an ultra-conservative attitude, determined to just get the win and it wasn't until we started to build up to what became a World Cup-winning campaign in 2003 that we had the confidence - bordering on arrogance - to still believe in ourselves even if a setback came along. We didn't go into our shells.
That is a hard place for any international team to reach and it requires total commitment from everyone. That is why I want to see the England players going out against France determined to put their hands up and, by their play, say to team manager Martin Johnson: "You are not getting rid of me for the next match."
I can see why Johnno has brought back Simon Shaw because England have not been hitting the rucks and mauls with the kind of power that he adds to the pack. Age doesn't come into it because Shawsy is a quality player and in great shape.
Tom Croft gets his chance in the back row and is an athletic forward who jumps well at the line-out and England were right not to make lots of changes after the defeat in Ireland.
England's poor disciplinary record in recent matches is a worry but I am taking heart from the presence of Australian referee Stuart Dickinson at Twickenham.
He is one of the very best refs in the game and is the kind of official you can talk to during a match. Given our bad disciplinary record and high number of yellow cards, he is just the kind of guy England need in charge.
France have been making lots of changes under Marc Lievremont and it's one of the reasons that I believe England can win. By beating Wales, Lievremont has shown he can put together a team to win on home soil but now his men have to win at Twickenham and he has chosen to fight fire with fire up front. Sebastien Chabal, who plays at Sale, has been moved to the back row because he knows the England players well and they will be looking to match us physically.
This may be a step backwards for France and offers England the chance to nick a very close match.
Reader views (1)
Jason I like the thinking, and having Shaw in the team again is great news but like you say the defensive side has been relatively good but I notice you dont mention the key area - offensive. I have not seen an England team with such limited options going forward, there just doesn´t seem to be any imagination from our back line. In all the 5-6 nations I have watched we have had attack minded players like Guscott, Carling, Webb, Underwoods, Greenwood, Lewsey, Wilkinson and the majestic Robinson to name but a few .... are there any of the current crop of backs that we could even mention in the same breath as these guys .... it pains me to say it but without the attacking weapons the defensive side is all we have which means damage limitation not challenging for wins. I hope this weekend I am proved wrong .....
- Melly, Cartagena, 14/03/2009 10:33
Report abuse
