England's 2012 Six Nations report card

England go into today’s final Six Nations game against Ireland with a sniff of Championship glory - something at the beginning of February only the players, Stuart Lancaster and the could’ve only dreamed of.

After the World Cup debacle and the meandering displays under Martin Johnson which had about as much spark as a light bulb on the Titanic, all English fans wanted at Twickenham was a bit of passion, some fight, some flair and any wins would be a bonus.

Last week’s win in France which ended Les Blues 10 game unbeaten streak in Paris was enough to show that England have not just turned a corner in 2012 but have successfully abandoned the sinking ship of 2011.

Interestingly, only the front rowers of Alex Corbisiero, Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole along with Ben Foden and Chris Ashton remain from the Ireland game in Dublin last year where England could have scooped up the Grand Slam, with the rest of the side formed by an exciting new England outfit.

Owen Farrell
It wouldn’t surprise me if Owen Farrell had learning difficulties at school because he doesn’t seem to realize he’s playing international Test rugby and the pressure, which comes. It began for him with last year’s Premiership final where he guided Saracens to victory over Leicester with cool kicking – and now he’s getting an England backline ticking in a manner which many thought was no longer possible in a white shirt after moving from 12 to fly-half.

He’s stood up like non-other, been England’s star of the Six Nations and should be the cornerstone of the side for years to come.

Manu Tuilagi
After missing the first two games because of injury, Manu Tuilagi has shown in the Wales and France games why – despite his cap collection still not in double figures – he’s so important to English rugby. Typified by his try in Paris, his pace, strength and love of contact are attributes England’s midfield have been missing for years.

Whether Brad Barritt is his long-term partner is to be seen, but imagine Tuilagi playing with someone with the vision of a Will Greenwood, creating gaps for him to gallop through – now that is simply salivating.

Chris Robshaw
What a few seasons the Harlequin has had. Since he was named England captain for the Scotland game – only his second full cap – the former Saxons leader under Stuart Lancaster has been simply fantastic. Back row colleagues Ben Morgan and Tom Croft may have been responsible for the dazzling runs, but Captain Robshaw has been at every breakdown, making tackles and leading England by example with pure grunt.

Stuart Lancaster
This is like when a relationship needs to decide whether it’s going to stop being a bit of fun and become something more committed or if the pair should leave it and just remember the time fondly as a bit of fooling about.

Lancaster has done everything asked of him. He’s rejuvenated an ailing side and if it weren’t for a breakaway try in the final few minutes of the Wales game England would be 80 minutes away from an undefeated Six Nations campaign.

Would someone like Nick Mallet do a better job? Whichever way you look at it there’s only one way to find out – but Lancaster has been exemplary in his position alongside Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree, all three of whom deserve a role in the set-up but if a new man comes in at the top he’ll surely want his own people around him.

Lancaster has oozed calmness and class in his position. Maybe it’s just because he’s warming the seat and if given the job permanently pressure and expectation could crush him – but I think that’s a risk worth finding out and a challenge the Yorkshireman would relish.

Irish break their duck as Ospreys limp out of Europe

The Ospreys lacked any creativity, go-forward and passion as they lost to London Irish 24-12 at the Madejski Stadium and with it any chance of qualifying for the final eight of this year’s Heineken Cup.

The Exiles, who had prior to this match failed to win any of their past ten matches in all competitions, threw the ball around and made opportunities for themselves scoring two tries to nil through wingers Topsy Ojo and Sailosi Tagicakibau. They were not without simple mistakes, but the Ospreys failed to capitalise and looked downhearted throughout, as another year passes without the stars of Swansea collecting Europe’s highest prize.

The battle-lines may have been drawn on a football pitch in middle England, but for this afternoon it was overrun by Celtic rivalry – and it was the Welsh who almost got off to a dream start. London Irish failed to gather the kick off, a problem they had throughout the match, allowing the Ospreys to swarm in predatory fashion towards the Irish line.

Bath clinch crucial win with the luck of the Irish still missing in 2011

History repeated itself as Bath snatched a last gasp win against London Irish at the Madejski stadium to record their first Aviva Premiership victory since October. The visitors beat Irish earlier in the season thanks to a late Nick Abendanon try, but this time around secured a 24-25 with an 80th minute Olly Barkley penalty.

Bath and London Irish went into the match with two of the worst recent records in English rugby, and the number of mistakes and penalties conceded by both sides during the 80-minutes made it seem as if their dismal runs had become habit for each set of players.

Bath Director of Rugby Steve Meehan said: “I was really pleased with the team coming back from being ten points down.

"Winning in that fashion means a lot and obviously we will be very happy on the coach, but we are also aware we need to cash in on this big time over the next week as we have a very important four or five months ahead of us.”

The crucial change came when Bath moved to a more forward orientated game at half time, to grind out a victory as a light rain set in across Reading.

Blues end 2010 with a win despite the Ospreys taking flight in the second half

Last weekend the talk might have been about the return of one Welsh centre, but today at the Cardiff City Stadium, Jamie Roberts made his first start for the Blues since wrist surgery and helped his side to a shaky 27-25 over the Ospreys.

Roberts' return to the starting 15 was a quite one, but he did show some strong running and a solid defence which optimised his region's performance.

The 19-3 first half advantage Dai Young’s side took in at the break proved to be the difference as the Ospreys hit back in the second period, led by substitute Mike Philips and winger Richard Fussell, to set up a tense finish in the Welsh capital.

On a night where fireworks will light up the night skies across the country, there was very little spark in the first half. Dan Parks, who is often criticised for not showing attacking impetus was the difference between the sides as Cardiff capitalised on almost every visit in and around the Ospreys 22-metre; while their opponents tried to recreate some of the magic which saw them demoralise the Scarlets earlier in the week.

Gavin Henson waltzes back into professional rugby at Wembley

With the fake tan still very much evident, Gavin Henson made his Premiership and Saracens debut today against Wasps at Wembley.

His long awaited return to the pitch came after 51-minutes, replacing Michael Tagicakibau at outside centre and immediately made an impact. He was so close to making a dream start, going over the line having been on the pitch for just two minutes and with his first touch of the ball. But scrum-half Joe Simpson was carried over with Henson, wrapped around the Welshman like Katya Virshilas has been since September.

A debut try could have seen his new side home and dry at 15-0 with an easy conversion to come, but the incident inspired Wasps, not the North Londoners, as they came came back with two penalties to bring themselves to within a score.

Saracens, however, did enough and held the six-time English champions at bay winning 13-6.

With the exception of the initial flurry of excitement Henson had a quiet game. This is to be expected for a man 18-months out of rugby, but you couldn’t have put a hat-trick topped with a 50-meter penalty to win the game à-la Wales versus England,2005, past him.

Henson expects to be back in the international fold come February and the Six Nations, while he also expects to play at fly-half as his very frank interview on Scrum V earlier in the year suggested.

To achieve the latter, he needs to overcome the very impressive Owen Farrell who has deputised at Saracens after Derick Hougaard put himself out for the season. The rookie has performed impeccably, but whether because the game was at Wembley, the pressure of Henson or the fact that against Wasps he came up against a wily, international class openside flanker in Serge Betsen, Farrell junior did look slightly out of his depth on this occasion.

With some more training under his belt, Henson probably will step in, and amongst the group of young English prospects and South African exiles looking to prove a point, Henson could excel.

He was reserved after the game, saying he hopes to start in the next week or two at 10 or 12, and only then can he think about a return to the red shirt of Wales.

To reach the form required, other Saracens like Schalk Brits could be exactly the sort of player to help their new Welsh team-mate thrive. The hooker’s strong running could work beautifully off the shoulder of Henson’s passing or his own line breaks.

His return within the ranks of the current Welsh set-up may be greeted with mixed emotions, but for rugby fans and spectators Gavin Henson brings sparks of magic to light up pitches, fill stadiums and create incredible match winning moments.

Jacobs and Wasps sting Irish's title ambitions

London Irish began their trio of season defining matches with a 33-25 defeat against Wasps at High Wycombe in a sensational game of rugby.

Adams Park remained a bogey ground for the Exiles as their run there extended to just one win in ten. Both sides welcomed back a number of regulars who were rested during the LV-Cup ties and others deemed not necessary for their international squads to add extra spice to the occasion.

A frenetic start saw high intensity running, and both teams won kickable penalties in the first five minutes. Ryan Lamb - who has had a superb start to the season - pushed his from the touchline wide, while opposite number, Dave Walder, made no mistake from just inside the Irish half.

One of the players released from Martin Johnson’s squad earlier in the week, Tim Payne, was punished twice in quick succession at the scrum, gifting Lamb the opportunity to level the scores. Irish continued to play with power at speed, but married with the dexterity, calmness and accuracy of their in-form stand-off’s kicking from hand.

But it was Wasps who scored the opening try after a quick-witted 22-drop out from Walder put them on the attack against a disorganised Irish defence. Good hands from the home side unleashed Tom Varndell, and quick recycling from England hopeful Joe Simpson led to Simon Kefu cutting a line before feeding centre partner Ben Jacobs, who carried three defenders over the line to score.

The man who started it all knocked over the conversion to make it 10-3.

Simpson, with his seemingly trademark socks around his ankles, was constantly buzzing around the base of the breakdown. His incredible turn of pace and rapid service gave Wasps fantastic opportunities in attack, and while all the talk has been about Ben Youngz in England’s number nine shirt – the 22-year old who has been so unfortunate with injuries, will be ready to step up if and when called upon.

Irish quickly retaliated, but in comparison to the pace of Simpson and the game up until the 28th minute, the try was made with brute strength. Chris Hala’ufia swatted three Wasps defenders off the back of a scrum with his right hand to pop to the supporting Paul Hodgson who ran in from 25-meters to bring his side back to within two points - Lamb failing with another touchline kick.

A penalty each left the score 15-13 at half-time, but the home side were down to 14-men after Payne saw yellow for a number of needless penalties.

Irish took full advantage of their extra man straight from the kick off, as positive play took them from 22 to 22, where Lamb put another deft chip through causing chaos in the Wasps defence. The ball popped up to Dean Bowden to dab under the posts – though there was more than a sniff of a forward pass in the build up – and Lamb easily converted.

Walder retaliated instantly with his fourth kick from five, but the second half didn’t get going until the 60th minute.

The Exiles spurned two opportunities just meters from the Wasps line in quick succession as Nick Kennedy was turned over when an extra pass would have seen Topsy Ojo cross the whitewash, and then Steffon Armitage left his rival England openside flanker - Tom Rees - for dead, only to knock it forward under pressure from the covering tackle.

The Exiles were dominant in this period and a score could have buried their hosts. But from nothing, Wasps turned the game on its head.

From a scrum on the half way line, man-of-the-match Jacobs ghosted through the opposition defence, feeding Joe Worsley. Quick ball again from the breakdown left the home side with a huge overlap, allowing Kefu to stroll over. Walder added the extras to put his side back in the lead 23-18 and they never looked back.

Worsley did what his team mates couldn’t earlier and smashed Hala’ufia on the Wasps 10-meter line, where his back row partner and captain Rees turned the ball over to launch an instinctive counter attack. Varndell was given the ball in space and there was no stopping the flying wing. The conversion stretched Wasps’ lead to 12-points with just five minutes remaining.

Irish thought they had secured at least a losing bonus point when substitute prop Paulica Ion went over with 90-seconds remaining, but Wasps, who finally won a penalty against the Irish scrum, kicked three points to ensure a 33-25 win, and an empty handed return trip down the M40 for Toby Booth’s men.

American football doesn't start any fires in London

Fireworks, lights, sparkle, glitz, glamour, beer, excitement, passion, hot dogs, music, superstars, exhilaration, big – American.

Last weekend the National Football League (NFL) of America rolled into London and dominated the spiritual home of English sport like nothing else. Red, white and blue didn’t just drape the inside of the stadium, but outside there was a remarkable ‘Tailgate Party’ serving beer, food, American Football-influenced fairground-esque attractions, a mock stadium and a live music stage.

Merchandise stalls hawked the wares of all the NFL franchises showing this event was not just about the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, but was an opportunity for every fan of the sport in Britain to celebrate the game.

The scale of the event was unreal – something not seen in the UK even at the biggest sporting occasions – yet this was just a regular season game.

Hundreds of figures decorated the parameter of the pitch from TV crews, cheerleaders, a drumming band brought especially from San Francisco and of course the players – the huge squads took a side of the pitch each dwarfing ‘soccer’s’ technical areas as just about big enough for the huge Gatorade containers.

It is a shame the players – those competing in the sport – are the ones mentioned last, as amongst the razzmatazz the game is lost.

As flames reach to the sky and multi-platinum musicians are rolled on-and-off the pitch the spectacle overshadows the actual event.

When only an hour of actual play is scheduled, but it takes getting on for four hours to complete, there is something wrong – especially at the scheduled cheerleader displays with two minutes remaining of each quarter irrespective of the momentum of the teams or how close the game may be.

A further gripe is the number of players used. Huge squads are rotated for every play depending on the situation, with the sportsmen competing clearly labelled as only possessing a single discernable skill – to tackle, to run, to throw, to catch, to kick or to get in the way – as was the case of the 6’3” Denver Bronco who ticks scales over the 24-stone mark.

There were some awesome moments in the game – spectacular fakes, unbelievable catches, huge hits and incredible excitement – and when there was a few quick phases and a flow to the game it was exciting to watch. But these occasions were far too far apart and often lost as your eyes were caught by the shiny added extras around the side rather than the grind of the main event.

American Football is an institution in the States as families attend with BBQs on the back of their pick-ups and treat it as a day out, and perhaps my nonselence about it is ingrained with the British vs. American psyche as I expect most of our cousins across the pond view 11-men dressed in white and standing on a field all day, for five days, with breaks for lunch and scones a tea-time as somewhat peculiar.

When the NFL came to Wembley it was incredible event – the atmosphere was like no-other and the excitement was phenomenal – but the game was forgotten.

P.S – 49ers won 24-16.

Boarding Pass - Steve Borthwick

Name: Steve Borthwick
Club: Saracens
Position: Second Row
International Honours: England (57 caps), England A

There are two schools of thought surrounding Steve Borthwick: the first argues he has been made a sacrificial scapegoat by Martin Johnson - dropped after a dreadful run of results for England to keep the Twickenham boo-boys at bay. While the second believes his omission is deserved for an over-rated player who never should have been given the captaincy let alone for the length of time he held it.

As events transpired, Johnson was given a get-out clause when push-came-to-shove, as he picked up an injury ruling him out of the summer tour.

While away, and in Australia especially, England impressively dominated the scrum and of course beat the Wallabies in their back yard for the first time since their World Cup victory in 2003.

After this historic win, the likes of Tom Palmer and Courtney Lawes who have also impressed so much at their club, cannot be dropped – while Simon Shaw remains as the iconic leader of the Three Chariots after his performances for the Lions in South Africa and evergreen stature.

Every coach who has selected Borthwick has openly admired both his performance and leadership qualities, while most of those who have watched him seem to miss the good work he reportedly does around the field.

Indeed Brendan Venter, after Saracens’ 24-17 win over Northampton at the weekend, praised his captain’s overall contribution to the victory.

It was a shame Borthwick wasn’t able to compete against Lawes at Vicarage Road – his younger compatriot rested by Jim Mallinder as part of the England Elite Performance Squad agreement – but his performance was not as deserving as Venter’s admiration suggested and a long way away from what would be required of a lock donning the red rose on his chest.

When taking the ball into contact he looked half-hearted and often went backwards against the committed Northampton defence - making only four meters during the 80-minutes.

Further, last year’s defeated Premiership finalists seemed to draw their inspiration from the South African contingent of particularly Neil de Kock, Derick Hougaard and Jacques Berger - not their skipper.

And the line-out wasn’t being dominated by Borthwick as much as one would expect based on his reputation.

Chances of going to New Zealand; 6.5/10 – The disappointment of Borthwick’s omission from the EPS squad was intensified as he heard the news while on his honeymoon, but despite this, he isn’t in the international wilderness. He is in the Saxons squad and with an unfortunate yet likely injury inevitably going to occur to one of his competitors in England’s engine room, Borthwick is the next in line to be called up.

Johnson clearly rates Borthwick by making him captain and retaining faith with him for so long, and come September 2011 Borthwick will at least be an experienced option who wouldn’t be intimidated by his surroundings, potentially giving him the edge over someone like Newcastle’s James Hudson or Dan Ward-Smith.

Not bad, hey?

Hougaard's boot KOs Northampton as Saints fall

Saracens vs. Northampton Saints
September 26, 2010
Vicarage Road, Watford

HT: 15-12
FT: 24-17

Saracens extended their winning streak against Northampton Saints and in doing so ended the Premiership’s only remaining 100 per cent record this season, winning at Vicarage Road 24-17.

Last season’s beaten Premiership finalists were the more composed of the two sides who didn’t become overawed by the visitors making the better start to the game, and capitalised with the metronomic boot of South African fly-half Derick Hougaard kicked in difficult conditions,

Saints travelled to Watford without the injured Chris Ashton and rested Courtney Lawes as part of the England Elite Performance Squad agreement and couldn’t recreate the cutting edge and spark which has optimised their exciting performances this season.

Boarding Pass - Jonathan Davies

Name: Jonathan Davies
Club: Llanelli Scarlets
Position: Centre
International Honours: Wales (7 caps), Wales U20s

Over the past seven days the news has all been about a certain Welsh centre – or ‘fly-half’ – but this is going to focus on another – Jonathan Davies.

At just 22 the centre has the raw materials to go far, and will hope if his form at Llanelli continues he can add to his collection of caps he has already begun to amass.

With Henson only performing in front of television cameras for the next few months, and Jamie Roberts out of Wales’ autumn internationals after undergoing wrist surgery, Davies has the best opportunity he could wish for to impress Warren Gatland and make the red 12 shirt his own.

Boarding Pass - David Strettle

Name: David Strettle
Club: Saracens
Position: Wing/Centre
International Honours: England (6 caps), England Sevens

Sometimes a change is good for the soul – and if David Strettle’s first 40-minutes as a Saracen is anything to go by, his move may prove to be the reigniting his career has been looking for.

He scored after his introduction at the weekend against Sale, and some of the pace and strength which won him his first six England caps and the 2007 Professional Rugby Players’ Association Young Player of the Season was back.

But since then, two injuries have hampered his development which saw him miss the World Cup in France and then pull out of the Six Nations a year later, and the fear was another English talent had gone to waste.

The signs from Saracens’ 28-13 victory looked extremely positive for the winger and there were glimpses of his old best. At 27 he is not the spring chicken his looks would lead people to believe and he has an awful lot of competition to wrestle his place back into England’s starting XV.

Though he was selected in Martin Johnson’s Elite Performance Squad, he still has Mark Cueto, Chris Ashton and Matt Banahan to contend with along with the likes of Ugo Monye and Tom Varndell breathing down his neck.

Chances of flying to New Zealand: 7/10 – As long as Strettle stays fit, his jinking running akin to Jason Robinson should see him easily make his long awaited trip to the World Cup. Unlike the more direct and powerful runners also on offer for England, he is a different option which could unlock some of the world’s best drilled defences with his unpredictable lines and squirming knack to find his way over the whitewash.

Southend teach Hinckley lessons about National rugby

Southend continued their perfect start to the season as they again picked up maximum points in a 10-53 victory away at Hinckley.

The visitors were clinical in their attack and devastating with quick offloading out of the tackle to see them run in eight tries to the Leicestershire side’s one.

Hinckley are still awaiting their first win after returning to the National leagues for the first time in 10 years and will not look back on this game fondly as defensive lapses, especially around the tackle area, and being slow to react and reorganise after turnovers proved decisive.

Boarding Pass - Ryan Lamb

Name: Ryan Lamb
Club: London Irish
Position: Fly-Half
International Honours: England U21, England Saxons

With 12-months to go until the World Cup in New Zealand, players across the planet are fighting it out to secure themselves a seat on the plane to the competition.

To begin what will be a weekly look at men who are making a claim and demanding their selection, I turn to London Irish’s Ryan Lamb.

At just 24, the fly-half has appeared to be around longer than his young age suggests while not always enjoying an entirely glowing career - arrested and charged for assault last year before being dropped by his home town club, Gloucester.

He has always showed glimpses of promise but has not been able to put a streak of form together and his kicking has been unreliable. Indeed last year he was not always first choice in the number 10 jersey for The Exiles, often finding himself on the bench behind Chris Malone.

However, under the tutorledge of Mike Catt, Lamb may well have a guide who can transform him into the player he has threatened to be. He has impressed during Irish’s pre-season, especially in Wales against the Newport Gwent-Dragon and continued his form through to the opening weekend of the Aviva Premiership.

Against Saracens at Twickenham, Lamb kicked 13 of his side’s 33 points and provided a perfect cross-field kick for Sailosi Tagicakibau to touch down in the second half. His passing created dangerous opportunities for the free-running and free-flowing London Irish backs, and he wore a cheeky smile of confidence throughout the game as he outshone another contender – Alex Goode.

With the departure of Danny Cipriani to Australia –seemingly knocking the Melbourne Rebel out of England reckoning – there are greater possibilities at 10.

But with the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Toby Flood, Charlie Hodgson and Shane Geraghty all with more international experience and currently ahead of him in Martin Johnson’s pecking order, Lamb is going to need to put in some very strong performances if he is to break into the side and make his full international debut.


Chances of flying to New Zealand: 3.5/10 – Lamb needs to put months not minutes of form together and hope his attacking play is helped by powerful finishing from the team-mates around him, but he may have to rely on injury and poor performances from his competitors if he is to get his chance.

London Irish staff fear French dominance

Northampton’s appearance as England’s only club in the quarter-finals of last season’s Heineken Cup may be a less of a blip and more of a trend according to London Irish’s coaching staff.

With the wage cap in England topped at £4million a year,Toby Booth is concerned the larger budgets and squad sizes in France will facilitate them to perform more consistently in both domestic and European competitions.

He said: “Dave [Ellis] and I had a little chuckle last week about operational budgets in France compared to the Premiership. There is Bayonne, I believe, who have just increased their budget by €4.3 million - they have increased their budget by the wage gap that we actually work on, so from that point of view it certainly isn’t going to get any easier, and makes things tough.

Hard grind needed for Exiles' success

Printed above the door to the weights room at London Irish’s Sunbury training ground are the words: ‘Earn the Right’, and Toby Booth, his players and his staff know it is only hard work which will reap any rewards this season.

The Exiles kick off their Premiership campaign against Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday, but training for the season began on June 15 with players returning to get physically primed for the season ahead.

“We are looking to increase the physical levels of the previous season and are always trying to take a step up,” Irish’s Head of Strength and Conditioning Allan Ryan noted as the key aims for pre-season. “It is important to try and make sure the players get through injury free and are prepared for the season ahead.”

Manchester City’s second-rate millionaires will not bring medals

An awful lot has been made about Manchester City and Sheik Al-Mansur’s Middle Eastern millions, but the fundamental flaw is the calibre of player they are bringing in.

Criticism has been levelled at a number of clubs in the Premier League for favouring the import of cheaper, foreign talent at the detriment to home grown kids - not least Manchester City. This summer alone they have welcomed through the doors Aleksander Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and James Milner at a huge expense, though it is the capture of David Silva which highlights their failings.

Three to push for World Cup stardom

With the World Cup just over a year away players across the planet are looking to the coming season as an opportunity to secure, or in some instances snatch last minute tickets to New Zealand.

Martin Johnson, Warren Gatland and company will hope to go into the Autumn Internationals with a settled squad - the majority of which will form the core of their party to launch their challenge to be World Champions.

But changes are inevitably with injury and loss of form, and three players who will hope to capitalise and wrestle their way to the top are featured after the jump – Dave Attwood, Jason Tovey and Jon Clarke.

All Blacks run riot as Australia look back on basic errors

Australia vs. New Zealand
July 31, 2010
Docklands Stadium, Melbourne

HT: 14-32
FT: 28-49

Experience and cool heads ruled over the youthful enthusiasm of Australia as New Zealand ran a mockery in Melbourne, winning 28-49.

Australia were trying to build on a strong start against South Africa last week, but handed the opportunity for the All Blacks to continue their unbeaten streak in the 2010 Tri-Nations through lack of discipline and failure to perform the basics. Their opposition were clinical in their finishing and oozing confidence as they extend their streak of Bledisloe Cup wins to 14 in 16 attempts.

Drew Mitchell was sent off due to two questionable yellow cards issued by South African referee Craig Joubert just inside the second half which scuppered Australia’s chances, but embarrassing mistakes at the restart in particular is what coach Robbie Deans will be most worried about.

Cheating... Or a great penalty? The latter

This is just simply insane... Ezequiel Calvente for Spain U19s v Italy U19s, July 24, 2010 at the European U19 Championships.