By Paul Ackford, Sunday Telegraph 23/09/2007

It’s not often that we find rugby journalists making serious and (hopefully) influential statements about our game but Paul Ackford’s article in today’s Sunday Telegraph strikes me as a real breath of fresh air. What follows is a small excerpt from his cogent article which I recommend highly to all readers.

England’s response to their disastrous defeat against South Africa was to organise a clear-the-air meeting the following day at their team hotel. The conclusions:(…) “We’ve tightened up what we are doing. It’s a bit more regimented.”

In that observation lies the explanation of all England’s present difficulties. It is an indictment of the way the game is played in the Premiership and a revealing insight into the inferior skill sets of the country’s elite players. Put yourself in Brian Ashton’s shoes for a moment. How would you feel if the group you thought capable of the possibility of self-determination turned round and said we’d rather play rugby by numbers? Join the dots rugby. Rugby for imbeciles. No wonder England’s coach has been a bit tetchy of late. The coaching philosophy he has lived his life by and has unsuccessfully tried to communicate to the national side has been thrown back in his face.
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It remains to be seen whether England can extricate themselves from this mess and begin their climb back up the rankings. My sense is that it will take a major clear-out of players and coaches before the revolution can begin. But when a squad’s instinctive response to a reversal is to reach for the blinkers that revolution can’t come soon enough.
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www.telegraph.co.uk/ackford