The Springboks rarely out of second gear against an England side that lacked belief and showed an alarmingly poor level of basic skill.
Josh Lewsey, in the Sunday Times, analysed it thus :
"The squad has been seriously affected over the past couple of years due to injury, changes and form, but no more so over the past week." Fair comment, thinks the RuckandRoller. But then...
"In the absence of a settled society, history has shown that law and order break down, the social hierarchy constantly changes, organization disintegrates and eventually the tribe fragments..."
Quite so, Josh. And thank God you're not writing for the News of the World...
And "1790's France and 1920's Russia spring to mind"
Yeah. Smack on. Any hapless England fan at the Stade de France on Friday night must have been thinking the same...
So - a message to all the "Swing Low" brigade.
To the Barricades, mes amis. It is time to make a new world. A world where England full backs' hamstrings will not spontaneously combust at the sight of an open field in front of them. A world where journalists will stop grilling poor battered Martin Corry, and will instead pat him on the shoulder and point him towards the showers. "It's fine, Martin, old pal, your rugby did all the talking".
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Too right RuckandRoller! As a passionate supporter of the Sweet Chariot, I am becoming a bit cheesed off with the whingeing coming from some of the England players via the newspapers. Brian Ashton's appraisals of the situation are frank and honest and the players now need to follow suit and take a look at themselves, their performances and front up! If the showing against the Boks on Friday is all they can muster then serious questions need to be asked. Yes, we all know that the RFU “Fat Cats” and the domestic programme are to blame in all of this, but the players are the ones that have to carry the can now for the next few weeks and they must do it without moaning and capitulating, if they want to emerge with any credibility. It is unfair, but that’s life. They are paid well to do what they do and it ain’t war – nobody is going to die out there. If they took a leaf out of Martin Corry’s book and put their bodies on the line, it wouldn’t have happened like it did on Friday night. There are too many experienced players in that squad and too many World Cup Winners to actually justify this level of performance. They can still salvage some pride and it is now in their hands completely!!
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