ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND: THERE IS a school of thought that this is a good time for England to be facing the All Blacks. Nil expectation, soft track, greasy ball etc etc. "Let's be frank, we've got nothing to lose," acknowledged Graham Rowntree, the home side's ever-optimistic scrummaging coach.
He is quite right, which makes it even more disappointing that England are again set to pursue a relatively low-risk selection policy this lunchtime.
At least the towering Simon Shaw will be back in harness, hoping to reproduce his stirring summer deeds in a Lions jersey. Martin Johnson's decision yesterday, however, to send home the Northampton pair Courtney Lawes and Ben Foden has more than a whiff of damage limitation about it. Instead of discovering if the two Saints can resurrect their country's fortunes, Johnson has preferred to keep faith with the largely anonymous Louis Deacon in his matchday 22 and persist with his curious preference for a makeshift full-back.
If England do what they have singularly failed to do so far this autumn and play with pace, momentum and control, Johnson's stance will clearly be justified. If, on the other hand, it proves to be another weekend of rumbling discontent, the World Cup-winning legend will be stranded in the mire of his selectorial conservatism.
The simmering tension surrounding England's recent performances erupted yesterday as the squad's management responded angrily to stinging criticism from Josh Lewsey, the World Cup winning full-back. Lewsey has openly questioned the capabilities of the current coaching panel and suggested a number of them are lucky still to be in a job.
The former Wasp, who retired at the end of last season, believes Martin Johnson's trio of assistants, John Wells, Brian Smith and Mike Ford, are at the root of the problem.
"Just look at what London Irish have done since Brian Smith left and he didn't achieve anything at Test level when he played, Mike Ford didn't win anything, while John Wells never played international rugby," Lewsey told the Evening Standard.
"Wells's achievements as a coach are terrible and what justifies these people keeping their jobs? "
It prompted a strong response from Lewsey's former Test colleague Rowntree, who insisted that Wells, in particular, is being unfairly targeted. "Some of it is out of order. I'm sick of hearing about Wellsy and this difference of opinion he's supposed to have in terms of his view of the game. He's one of the best practitioners of forward play around."
