By Craig Davies
2010 could be a pivotal year for not only England, but Martin Johnson. The World Cup winner hasn’t had the best of times during his tenure as national team boss, with a poor autumn not exactly the best preparation for the upcoming Six Nations championship.
Last seasons stuttering spring yielded second place, level with Wales and France on six points, but for a side that looked low on confidence and at times bereft of any real cutting edge, it was a good finish. The autumn internationals on the other hand were a virtual disaster, a squad hit by injuries suffered with varied tactics and player selection that let the side down significantly. Lewis Moody was the only big plus from the three games that saw just one win against Argentina with convincing losses against Australia and New Zealand. Despite a poor month Lawrence Dallaglio has tipped England for a first place finish in the 2010 Six Nations, quite a bold prediction, especially considering the strength of the in-form Irish.
The pack needs to become stronger and more unforgiving, with a possible problem in the second row. Captain Steve Borthwick seems to be more unconvincing each time he takes to the field, and it could well be a problematic area. The selection of uncapped duo David Barnes and Richard Blaze also caused a stir in the autumn, with more deserving and in-form players overlooked.
However it was in the backs where the root of England’s problems materialised, with very little flair or creativity evident. The inclusion of out form Richard Wrigglesworth and Mike Tindall was surprising, as was the full back dilemma that saw Ugo Monye shifted back from wing. One of the best runners of the ball we have was of course non-effective and it took far too long to realise Mark Cueto was a more than capable stand-in.
It was surprising that Ben Foden was not utilised at full back, having successfully completed the switch from scrum half to 15 for club side Northampton. If included he is definitely one to look out for, and is a certain match winner.
The likes of Chris Robshaw are always mentioned, while Chris Ashton is putting forward a good case for inclusion as top try scorer in the Premiership so far. In addition while it is almost certain Jonny Wilkinson will be the starting fly half, Ryan Lamb is another performing excellently for his club side. He looks revitalised in the London Irish jersey, and the current top scorer and goal kicker in the league would certainly be disappointed to be over looked.
England posses a pool of players far reaching, and the possibilities are seemingly endless. It remains to be seen if they can reach their potential under Johnson, but second place would be good finish for England this time round.
