England A Shambles At Murrayfield

Six Nations Game 11 - Scotland vs England (15-9)

An early penalty for Scotland was an early reward, with Chris Paterson accurately kicking his 27th consecutive goal kick! The heavy mud and deluging rain can't have been easy. At the end of the first quarter, England Fullback Iain Balshaw and Rory Lamont slid to collect a ball. Instead, Balshaw's knee connected with Lamont's head, and there was a lengthy delay as the Scot was stretchered off, out cold. Later reports say he's OK but has gone to hospitals for checkups. He'll have a sore head, for sure.

The play was quite scrappy generally as the conditions continued to play their part. But Jonny Wilkinson [right] became Rugby Union's highest points scorer when he punted over another penalty, bringing the scores level at 3-3.

Andrew Sheridan gave away a silly penatly on the half hour - Paterson made it 28 kicks in a row and the Scots went ahead again 6-3.

The rain let up briefly, but then started again in earnest just before half time. So they played kicking ping pong for a while. With three minutes to go to the break, Jonny kicked his next penalty just short. In the last minute, Simon Shaw gave away another penalty, the Paterson kicking machine was on song and Scotland went in at half time 9-3 up.

The Scots got the perfect start to the second half with another penalty and England seemed to fall apart - they lost a couple of lineouts, they knocked on and kept infringing at rucks. The wheels came off the chariot. Whatever happened to the spark they showed in Paris? They were full of stodge.

Then Dan Parks [above] had a go for a long-range penalty which he punted over with confidence. At 15-3 down, England were definitely in trouble. Eventually they had a chance at goal in the 49th minute. Jonny's aim was good, and it was 15-6. Still trailing heavily, there didn't seem to be any creativity or ambition from the England squad, and the Scots took their chances where they could. Three minutes later, another 3 points for Jonny, gradually eroding the deficit to 15-9.

Going into the final quarter, England had a lineout in Scottish territory and made a bit of headway up the pitch. But then they threw a forward pass. A series of scrums went first one way, then the other. It was a dour old game, probably more interesting to watch paint dry.

In the 65th minute, England finally strung a few phases together in the Scottish half. But it was far from pretty. Scotland pinched the ball. Then won a penalty. And England's chances slipped away again.

Brian Ashton decided it was time to bring on the cavalry and it was all change from the bench. Scotland put together a decent bit of play, and Dan Parks looked like he was going for a drop goal, but it was charged down and England gained possession. Then Jonny was subbed by Charlie Hodgson [right] - it's a while since we've seen him in an England shirt!

With ten minutes to go, and a converted try required for England to snatch victory, England finally had a lineout in the Scottish half. But yet again, they couldn't string together a decent run of play.

So the game ended at 15-9, Scottish fans celebrated their Calcutta Cup victory and English fans are left wondering what sort of game they will witness next week in the final round against Ireland. Let's just hope it doesn't get any worse!

England Scrape Past Italy

Six Nations Game 6 - Italy vs England (19-23)

England fans can be forgiven for thinking there was a certain amount of déjà vu this weekend. For the second game running, the Red Rose boys looked promising, even impressive in the first 40 minutes, but seemed to go to pieces in the second half. Thankfully this time the result was different.

Jonny Wilkinson [right] initially appeared to be on song when he made a lovely chip ahead, caught a kind bounce and flipped a pass out of the back of his hand to Paul Sackey, who ran in for a score in the first couple of minutes. Wilkinson added the extras in England were ahead 0-7. Italy replied after five minutes with a penatly struck by David Bortolussi, and another at 12 minutes, pulling the hosts back to 6-7.

Around the quarter hour, Jamie Noon charged down a Bortolussi kick, passed to Wilkinson who offloaded to Toby Flood, who took a flamboyant dive in the corner. The all-newcastle midfield were firing well together. Jonny's conversion took him to 1,000 points in an England shirt and England to a 6-14 lead.

England managed another two penalties before the break, both from the boot of Wilkinson, giving them a 14-point cushion at 6-20. But as with last week, England lost the plot in the second half. Whatever Brian Ashton had said to them in the dressing room at half time, I wish he hadn't bothered!

Italy managed the lion's share of possession and territory in the second half, and two more pentalties for the Azzurri kept them in touch with England, 12-20. Then Ashton decided to bring on some replacements, and the team seemed to loose even more cohesion.

Richard Wigglesworth [left] was given his first cap at Scrum Half. And Danny Cipriani came on, only to have a clearance kick charged down by Simon Picone who then flew half way up the pitch to score under the posts - more or less uncontested by England's defence. Bortolussi added the extra two points, pulling Italy back to 19-23.

So England's fans were left with a couple of nervous minutes before the whistle blew, and Italy were still pushing and praying for a last-minute miracle. It was their best result against England in the 14 tests the two countries have played.

An England this sloppy will be put to the sword by France next time round, especially as the game is in Paris. They really must learn to play like they did in the first half - for the whole 80 minutes - or they will be heading for another pasting.

Festive Falcons Visit

With Saracens' recent form, I think most folks were expecting an easy victory against the visiting Newcastle Falcons. But we all know what comes before a fall, and Jonny Wilkinson & Co pulled off their first victory at Vicarage Road since 2001, and also their first away win in the Premiership in over a year.

As has happened in recent weeks for the Men In Black, the first half was a bit of a disaster. A fortnight ago in Viadana, they managed the comeback-from-the-dead, turning round a 26-3 deficit at half time, into a miraculous 26-34 win by final whistle. The travelling fans were naturally ecstatic. Those of us at home following the game online were left nursing our bitten fingernails!

The biggest casualty of the game was Hooker Matt Cairns [above] who suffered a broken arm during the match, and has since had a metal plate inserted to aid recovery, but he will be out until at least the end of March. The Gaffer is naturally worried about Hooking cover during the Six Nations, as Fabio Ongaro is likely to be called up by Italy for the duration. We all hope Cairnsy has a speedy recouperation!

The Christmas fixture on 22nd December saw Sarrie and his team travel away to Harlequins. Yet again, the first 30-odd minutes were pretty dire from all accounts. I was unable to follow this one online as my broadband connection was broken for 10 days over Christmas! Very annoying. Still, Sarries managed to pull back a 20-27 win.

I think the Christmas holidays must have been relaxing for the guys, since they seemed to come out of the tunnel for the Newcastle game thinking they were easily going to beat the Falcons. Within 3 minutes the defence was caught napping and Matthew Tait beat Brent Russell to cross the line for a try.

[Look Who's Behind You! Jonny Wilkinson is manaced by Lock Chris Jack]

Whilst Jonny's playmaking skills seemed fine, his placekicking left a bit to be desired. He missed at least two kicks at goal, and Saracens' Gordon Ross, starting the first half, wasn't a lot better. Odd, since it wasn't particularly windy, even though the rain appeared for a while.

The Falcons' Scrum seemed to stand up at every opportunity, and I'm surprised referee Sean Davey didn't ping them for it more often. Saracens have been having a good scrum of late, so there's no reason to think just because Carl Hayman was gracing the Newcastle Front Row that things would change dramatically - Kevin Yates left] and Cencus Johnston are pretty good masters of the dark arts themselves!

Another thing that wasn't going too well for Saracens was their lineout. Several were stolen during the game, which doesn't happen often. Perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised, give the statistics that Newcastle's Lock Mark Sorenson is the top lineout stealer in the Premiership, and is 3rd for catching his own team throws. No wonder Hugh Vyvyan [right], looked so surprised to have caught this one!

Sarries woke up in the second half and played some good rugby, scoring two tries (Vyvyan and de Kock) plus having another judged to have been held up over the line by the TMO.

They even went into the lead briefly towards the end, but Newcastle's Jamie Noon put the nail in the coffin scoring in the 78th minute, with Jonny Wilkinson [left] hammering it further in with the conversion.

One thing I did find confusing was the Falcons' away strip, which seems to be a direct ripoff of England's gear from a couple of years ago. Perhaps they got them in a closeout sale?

At least losing by only 3 points meant Sarries pick up a bonus point, which might well come in handy later in the season. And they are still 3rd in the Premiership table at present. Next weekend's away trip to Brizzle will see if they can climb any higher in the near future.

You can see more of my photos from Sunday's game here.

Next time I'm at Vicarage Road will be for the Heineken Cup tie against Biarritz on 12th January - hopefully it won't be quite as dark as it was for the Newcastle game! And a victory then would certainly help Sarries towards a HC Quater Final place.

Oh Ye Of Little Faith!

Kickoff - I feel slightly sick!

Berwick Barnes's long kick in the 3rd minute just wouldn't go over the deadball line, and England took a dodgy 22m dropout, with Australia turning over deep in the England 22. The Aussies won a penalty but Stirling Mortlock missed the chance at 3 points. Seconds later, he had another go with a longer range kick, but less of an angle. No mistake this time, 3-0 to Australia.

The restart was much more promising, with the forwards chasing and wrapping it up. Mike Catt [left] kicked to the corner for Paul Sackey but he was taken into touch. The Australians took the lineout but England continued to pressure.

The first scrum was an Australian putin, but after two collapses, there was a bit of argey-bargey. It went down again at the reset, and again. The penalty went against England, despite looking like the gold shirt being the first one to buckle. Mortlock had a go at the posts from the helfway line, but it went very wide - perhaps justice was served.

George Gregan, making his record 139th appearance for Australia, snuck through a half-hole off a lineout, England defended and turned over in the Aussie's half. Keeping the ball alive, Twinkle Toes Robinson made a massive break up the middle. It went both ways across the field, England keeping possession. A couple of minutes of furious defence for the Australians, eventually they turned over. A good passage of play from England.

Australian lineout on the half way came back to them, but the loose ball was turned over and England pressed upfield again. The Aussie hooker made a shocking clearance putting them offside, and England won a penalty. Jonny did the honours to take them level after the first quarter. England looked sharper and the more dangerous of the two teams.

23 minutes in, Australia had another scrum. The same old story - collapsing all round. Finally, England won the penalty in the Aussie half. Wilkinson lined up the kick, and over it sailed - taking him to the highest points scorer in the history of the World Cup, surpassing Gavin Hastings' record and boosting morale for the Men in White - 6-3 up.

The restart was won by Australia but Mike Catt and Paul Sackey tackled furiously and the forwards turned over the ball. Daniel Vickerman was pinged for infringing in the ruck. Wilkinson lined up for the posts again: he couldn't quite make it through the sticks.

The 22m dropout was kicked over the English try line by Barnes. England looked much more lively at their own restart. Australia's lineout was solid in 30th minute, with Chris Latham making strides through the midfield. England had to drop back into defensive mode, with Loti Tuqiri breaking the line too. Then the Australian forwards had a go at inching up. Then through more hands and rucks, back to Tuqiri and the big winger went over for his first try of the tournament. Mortlock's conversion banana'd between the posts and Australia were 6-10 up.

Then at 35 minutes, Paul Sackey was taken out in the air, catching a high kick, and Adam Ashley-Cooper was penalised. Wilko kicked a huge ball downfield for a lineout and the England forwards rumbled on. The maul was brought down, but Wilkinson pulled the kick from out wide. Half time came soon after.

Mike Catt got himself a bloody nose just as the second half got under way, and then England won a penalty at the scrum. The next lineout was deep into Aus territory, but England were turned over. Then back again, and Wilkinson knocked on.

At 45 minutes, England disrupted the Australian lineout in their own half, and although the Aussies had the scrum putin, England disrupted well - almost winning against the head. England turned over, Mike Catt was unable to pickup without knocking on - but they were right under the posts.

The scrum was reset - 5m closer to the Aussies tryline. Andrew Sheridan was making mincemeat of the Aussie front row. They won the scrum - scrambled - but the clearance kick was a shocker, so England had a 5m lineout. The forwards went inching up the field, sniffing the line. Eventually it was flung wide, then back again. The Australians got themselves offside. Jonny Wilkinson had taken a battering during the play, so there was a short delay before he took the kick, and he scored the crucial three points to take them just one point behind, 9-10.

The restart saw Australia going into attack, but Nick Easter [right] fed off the scraps and turned over. The England clearance gave Australia a lineout, but that was immediately turned over. A bit of ping-pong later, Chris Latham tried for a long-range drop goal, but it went very wide.

Australia had a go at attack at 55 minutes, but England kept up their defensive discipline. England turned over and kicked back upfield for territory. The lineout was exactly on half way - it went loose and Matthew Tait kicked ahead to take England right up to the Australian line but they knocked on. England got the putin at 5m: a vital position to score.

Wheel on the replacements! The forwards drove towards the line and Australia infringed - 3 points were better than nothing, so Wilkinson lined up the kicking tee - England were ahead 12-10 and the Wallabies were beginning to creak, particularly at the scrum.

The green and gold came fighting back after the restart, they looked dangerous for a couple of phases and then knocked on. They got another opportunity, but Daniel Vickerman was seen to take out Andy Gomarsall [elft] well after he'd passed the ball, giving England the chance of a penalty, to kick deep into the Wallabies half.

At 63 minutes, Mike Catt was subbed for Toby Flood, a chance to see what the Newcastle boy could do. England took the catch right at the back of the lineout. Simon Shaw [right] powered up the pitch, with plenty of support for him. Josh Lewsey knocked on from a pass from Jason Robinson, but it was another avarage scrum for the Wallabies. England turned over, but had to kick to clear - the Aussie lineout was shakey, turned over from the back. Jonny Wilkinson attempted a drop goal but it went wide.

At 67 minutes, Australia were back on the attack, but Nathan Sharpe knocked on in England's half. Lawrence Dallaglio [left] was brought on in time for the scrum. Then Australia got another putin at 69 minutes - George Gregan was having trouble getting the ball in the tunnel with a collapse, and England won a free kick. They chose to take another scrum - it was a good call, given the dominance of the England forwards. It collapsed again.

After a bit of ping-pong with poor kicks, eventually Australia kicked long and it went dead over England's try line. Australia won the dropout and were on the attack again - Gregan knocked on and they gave away a penalty - time for Jonny to stand up for the kick right on the half way line. The most important kick of his career since THAT drop goal. It went just wide to the left.

Five minutes to go, and it was another kicking ping-pong scenario. The Wallabies won their lineout at the half way line. They kept pushing, England kept defending. Worsley gave away a penalty. Stirling Mortlock went to take the kick - but it didn't have the accuracy.

Countdown - two minutes to go, two points in it. Australia won the restart, then England tackled and knocked on. The scrum was on, Gregan feeding, but Autralia couldn't clear it far enough. England had the lineout throw, with twenty seconds to go.

George Chuter got the ball to English hands, but Australia turned it over somehow. The clock ticked over the 80 minutes, Australia knocked on, and the whistle blew!

So England have pulled off what many thought was highly unlikely - the Aussies go home and the Sweet Chariot can rumble on towards the semis in Paris next weekend.

It was a remarkable turnround from the 36-0 pumelling England got against South Africa just three weeks ago. They looked like a completely different side - competing at the breakdown, scavanging ball wherever they could and certainly getting the upper hand in the scrum. They tackled as if their lives depended on it, and that sort of defence can only stand them in good stead for the next game. Andrew Sheridan [left] was named Man of the Match, an indictment of the forwards' contribution to the win. But Australian supporters will spare a thought for George Gregan, retiring after the match with a mammoth 139 caps. I'm sure he'll be missed.

England Improving

England started as they meant to go on, with Captain Martin Corry [left] rumbling over in the corner within 2 minutes! Jonny did the honours and the Red Rose boys were 7-0 up immediately. Jonny struck a drop goal shortly after. Samoa's Loki Crichton kept them in the running with a couple of penalties in the first quarter, but Wilkinson punted two of his own to redress the balance.

At the half hour, England were looking a bit flat, until great interplay between Simon Shaw and Mark Cueto pushed England upfield, then a chip ahead from Jonny Wilkinson put Paul Sackey over in the corner. Jonny added the two points to take England to 23-6. In the last couple of minutes of the half, Loki Crichton slotted two penalties to leave Samoa trailing by 23-12.

Samoa continued to claw back the deficit with another penalty kick just after the break, but it was cancelled out three minutes later when Jonny Wilkinson added three points of his own, having been felled by a high tackle from Brian Lima, to take the score to 26-15.

However, Samoa were far from giving up the ghost, and in the 47th minute, Junior Polu scored (it was close, the TMO had to be consulted) and Crichton converted - Samoa were back in the game, only 4 points behind at 26-22.

For the next twenty minutes, the score was stuck right there, although England came close around 55 minutes from a catch and drive manoeuvre, the forwards rumbled along, Samoa were penalised and Wilko missed a drop goal attempt while playing the advantage. Uncharacteristically, he also missed the resulting kick at goal.

Around 60 minutes, Samoa had a chance, camped deep in English territory, with forwards and backs involved, but England defended furiously and eventually turned over for a counter-atack.

A few substitutions for England followed, and they were beginning to look a little nervous. Crichton chipped ahead for Samoa, Andy Gomarsall [left] covered well. England scrapped on the floor, turned the ball over, and Nick Easter crashed his way upfield. Wilkinson could see that the try wasn't on, and calmly popped a nerve-steadying drop goal, to take the score up to 29-22.

Samoa botched the restart kick, giving England a scrun in the centre of the field. Samoa infringed, so Jonny decided to kick for goal. He struck a beautiful, sweet kick straight through the middle of the posts, and England were 10 points ahead at 32-22.

As if the hammer home the advantage, Martin Corry went over in the 76th minute, for his second try, from a pass from Paul Sackey [right]. Jonny converted, but not to be out-done, Sackey snuck up the right wing for his second score in the 80th minute. This time, Jonny didn't add the extra points, but England were home and dry with a 44-22 win.

Thank heavens for that! England showed some promising improvements after the South Africa debacle. Let's hope they continue on their upward path for their game against Tonga next weekend.

Sendoff In The Park

It's been couple of years since I last went to the O₂ Scrum In The Park, and it was good to see another event advertised this year, so the public could meet the squad and give them a good sendoff to the Rugby World Cup.

There were all sorts of events going on during the afternoon, such as Meet the Players to get autographs, training sessions for kids with the team, face painting, competitions etc. It's great to be interested in a sport where the players are so accessible - I can't see it happening with the England football team any time soon! I did feel a bit sorry for Jonny Wilkinson [left], who was inevitably the centre of attention - he needed about 5 minders to keep the groupies away! He seemed to be bearing it with remarkable good grace, however.

Other players who I saw pottering about included the midfielders Jamie Noon, Matthew Tait, and Andy Farrell (who also seemed popular with the autograph hunters).

Prop Matt Stevens and second row Steve Borthwick [right] were putting the kids through their paces at rucking practice. A tad unfair since they could probably both have lifted up the kids with one hand, and were trying to get them to lever 110Kg of Forward off the ball!

Entertainment was provided by a marching band, looking splendid in their Dress Reds and enormous Busbies. I wasn't entirely convinced by the Gospel Choir, mind you. Although they were much better than the crowd at singing Swing Low!

At least the Sign For England bus was a success - a double-decker where you could sign your message of support to the boys, all over the outside:

[my contribution on the side of the Sign For England bus]

The finale was a little bit of a letdown - the team were paraded onto the pitch and stood under the posts whilst Austin Healey quizzed Brian Ashton and Phil Vickery. Then they sang Swing Low and fired a load of streamers at the team:

[the England boys attempt to unravel themselves from the red and white streamers]

Would have been nice if they'd let them have a final lap round the pitch to wave to the spectators, but they were ushered off again quite quickly. Oh, well - I'll see them on Saturday in Lens! Can't believe my RWC trip has come round so quickly. You can see the rest of my photos from this year's Scrum In The Park.

Summer Rolls On By

I'm not really sure where the summer went - I think most of it was rained off, to be honest. But summer, and August particularly, is usually pretty slow for rugby. There's the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham (more of which anon), and towards the end of the month, clubs are to be found holding friendlies as pre-season fixtures. So it felt rather strange going to Twickenham last week for a test match - but that's what happens in Rugby World Cup years!

France Come Out Strong
Initially, I had high hopes for England's chances against the French - our pack seemed to be bossing things around nicely, despite veteran lock Fabien Pelous [right] managing to score in the corner within a few minutes of the opening whistle. The strength of their pack is always something to worry about with the likes of Pelous, Jerome Thion and Serge Betsen in their ranks - not to mention their front row.

England held their own for some time, with Olly Barkley slotting over four penalties with little trouble - some from quite long range. Jonny Wilkinson [left] sat out most of the match on the bench, for heaven's sake! I realised it was only the third time I'd actually photographed Jonny on the pitch - once playing for Newcastle (Dec. 2004), once for the Lions (May 2005) and lastly for 2 minutes at Twickenham! You can see more photos from the game at the usual place.

My heart sank yesterday, after watching England's display against France in Marseille on the telly. Their pack were definitely having their own way - so let's hope we can pull ourselves up by the bootstraps before the World Cup starts. Fingers crossed!

Back To Twickenham

It seems I'm beginning to live at the place - visiting two weekends running. This time it was for the aforementioned Middlesex Sevens tournament. What a contrast in the weather to a week ago! This time it was cold, drizzly and miserable, (the sun had been out in force the week before for the French visit). I really felt sorry for the players - thankfully my seat was well under cover in the West stand and I was still able to take a few photos of the matches.

After recent domination by the likes of Wasps and Gloucester, it was good to see the Final contested between Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors - the Worcester boys were sporting a bright orange strip which added a bit of colour to the otherwise drab pictures. I wondered if they've just taken on new sponsorship from Lea & Perrins - the orange was exactly the same colour as the sauce label?!

[Newcastle's Ollie Phillips tries to catch Worcester's Marcel Garvey]

So, just a couple of weeks to go before World Cup Fever begins to grip the rugby-watching public - bring it on!

The Irish Dream

Six Nations Game 8 - Ireland vs England (43-13)

Crunch time, for both teams. As the anthems played, I felt sick, and that was just me watching in front of the telly! (A new telly, which I had to rush out and buy earlier, when the old one chose to die on me at 10am this morning - what timing!)

It always makes me smile when I see Peter Stringer [tiny fellow that he is, right] dwarfed bewteen the two Locks, as they sing "standing shoulder to shoulder". Wonderful.

And Jonny Wilkinson fit, thankfully. David Strettle in for the injured Jason Robinson. So, a new-look backline.

Joel Jutge blew the whistle and we were off. Wilko's kick taken safely by Ireland. Penalty for England withing thirty seconds, after a high ball kick wasn't taken well by anyone. Jonny punts the ball over, 0-3 to England.

Danny Grewcock [left] took the restart kick safely, but Ireland soon had it back in their possession. They kicked long and it ended over the try line, so it was a 22m dropout to England. Paul O'Connell was brought to ground after his catch. O'Gara put it just out near the England line and it was England's lineout. Easterby went up too, but it was won by Lund and the forwards rumbled them back. Shortly after Ireland won a penalty, O'Gara pushing it over cleanly.

They played ping pong for a bit, Ireland lost their lineout and England made a break. Attack and counter-attack, and then into touch. After the scrum, England won a lineout, and seemed to be getting some quick ball from rucks. Ireland had a chance of overlap but squandered it.

Soon after, Ireland kicked another penalty to make it 6-3. Then they stole a lineout from Grewcock. Then Ireland infringed, Ellis took the penalty quickly and then O'Connell gave away another penalty for high tackle. Wilkinson punted it deep into the Irish 22. George Chuter's [right] lineout was lost and Ireland won another lineout a couple of minutes later.

The rain started hammering down and the ball was getting slippery. Then England gave away another stupid penalty at the lineout. O'Gara made it 9-3.

After the restart, Ireland looked more dangerous, and Josh Lewsey saved a possible Irish chance by making sure it was in touch. Then Ireland were attacking again, just before the line and Danny Grewcock was sin binned. Which meant an Irish lineout close to England's line and a man down. The inevitable - Irish try finished by Girvan Dempsey [left]. 16-3 to Ireland once O'Gara had done the hours with the boot.

After some sticky moments for England, they had a chance at attack, but knocked on. So Ireland had the put-in. Mattew Tait came on for Olly Morgan (shoulder injury). Ireland were on the attack again after a lineout, and almost made it, but Tait made one hell of a tackle and it was out of the dead ball line. Soon after they were back and David Wallace [right] just managed to get across the whitewash. O'Gara did the honours, and Ireland were up 23-3.

Shame to see England on the ropes, I was hoping for a better matched first half. Just before the break, they looked to be making a break, but couldn't manage it. Brian Ashton has some talking to do at the break.

Things didn't get any better at the restart of the second half. Paul O'Connell almost charged down a Mike Tindall [left] clearance kick but it went out. Ireland stole the ball but then knocked it on. The scrum was terrible for England and O'Gara added another three points for the offence, making it 26-3. Ghastly second half start for the men in white.

Julian White came on as a blood replacement for Vickery, Grewcock caught the dodgy England lineout. Then the centres had a go. Andy Farrell kicked a lovely clearance to touch but the Irish lineout was solid, until England turned them over. Josh Lewsey made some headway and England were only 5m out. They had to spin it out wide, and David Strettle scored in the corner on his debut, after seeing the video replay. Wilkinson took the extras and England were back in the game at 26-10.

Ireland's next attack eventually put the ball in touch. England won the lineout, but the clearing kick failed to find touch and Ireland were back on the attack. They were pinged for crossing on the half way line, and Jonny wasn't quite able to push it over.

On 53 minutes, Tom Palmer [right] replaced Danny Grewcock. The next phase of play, Ireland gave away a penalty closer in, and Jonny made no mistake with the boot this time, making it 26-13. Then Julian White gave away a penalty, and O'Gara did the honours - 29-13.

The restart saw Ireland go on the attack, but Lewsey got the ball back and Ireland had a forward pass. The England scrum wasn't performing to best - England done for not feeding straight and Stringer was off for a quick tap and go. They tried to get themselves into the England 22, but Tait was able to take a silly kick from Ireland.

Then Ireland looked like they were making headway before England managed to catch an intercept. Then Ireland had a scrum, and there were a couple of knock-ons either side. A few minutes later, a huge crossfield kick from O'Gara was taken by Shane Horgan [left] to put it down in the corner, O'Gara making it 8 from 8 and the score moved on to 36-13.

Then Brian O'Driscoll's hamstring appeared to go again as England turned over the Irish ruck. It took another ten minutes for him to go off the field, though.

A flurry of replacements for both sides, but Ireland still looked like the dominant force. England won some more ball, but it was basically scraps compared to Ireland's possession.

Even the last five minutes were fairly furious, with possession changing hands regularly. Paul O'Connell was named man of the match, but I'm sure Isaac Boss, a late replacement for Stringer, will be relishing his interception which gave him a simple run under the posts. And then O'Gara added the rest. Again. 43-13.

Ouch.

Ireland certainly looked the most convincing, they played extremely well. And 30 points is the biggest Irish win against England. The best team certainly won on the day, and at Croke Park, they will be partying very hard tonight.

Or read my ten word review.

Eggheads And Arguments

I was minding my own business waiting for a train this morning, when what should I spy on the opposite platform but this poster for the Daily Telegraph:

["We've got Rugby's finest minds"]

I wondered if he'd got the enourmous egg from constantly battering opposition front rows? :-)

The club vs country row rumbles on like an old sore which has had the scab picked off yet again. WHEN are the RFU and PRL Ltd going to sort it out?! It's getting very tedious! They are all looking like bigger eggheads than Keith Wood! And the poor old players just end up as piggies in the middle.

With a Six Nations rest weekend coming up, Brian Ashton named his team to play Ireland on 24th earlier in the week, in the hope that his chosen players would be rested by their clubs, a large number of which have important games scheduled over the weekend.

Wilkinson sits out Newcastle's game against Bristol, but team mates Tate and Flood are in the starting XV. Some of the Leicester boys might come off the bench for their Worcester game. But Saracens are fielding Andy Farrell at 12 for their match against Gloucester. I'm disappointed to be missing that one, especially as a win could mean they move into the top 4! But I'll be watching closely for the result!

It's not just the English who have been inconvenienced - several Premiership clubs refused to let their Scottish internationals attend a training day this week.

Jonny's Back - With A Vengence

Six Nations Game 2 - England vs Scotland (42-20)

What can you say? For someone who has not played international rugby for 3+ years, and has barely played more than a handful of club matches in that time too, you just have to admire Jonny's skill and determination to then come on at Twickenham and play a blinder of a game.

Whether or not you agree with the try that was awarded to Jonny in the second half, you can't deny he made a huge impact in the game.

Harry Ellis [right] was held up over the line after a few minutes, then two teams traded a couple of early penalties, then Jonny punted over another before Simon Taylor's try from a crap England lineout. Paterson converted and all of a sudden, England were down 6-10.

To be fair, most of England's lineouts were solid, and Scotland didn't seem to compete much in the air, which was a surprise.

I thought Ellis played a blinder of a game too, as did Brian Ashton who thought it was his best game in an England shirt.

A few more penalties later (to England), and all of a sudden, Billy Whizz [left], another player recently out of the Interanational wilderness, strikes for his first try of two during the game. And England went in to the break leading 17-10.

Thankfully for the English fans, there was more of the same in the second half, with Martin Corry stealing a lineout, followed by a huge shove from the forwards, a tackling error from Sean Lamont, and Jason Robinson was over the line for his second.

So, two gambles in selection from Brian Ashton paid off - and so did the third, that of Centre Andy Farrell [right]. He was passing and distributing well, made some good breaks and generally looked like a far more experienced Union player than he actually is. He worked well with Mike Tindall, too, which is great news for the midfield.

A few more points for Jonny, plus a late consolation try for Scotsman Dewey, and the final score was 42-20. Other notable points from the game - Danny Grewcock was winning his 67th cap, which made him the most experienced England man on the field. He made some great lineout jumps and generally behaved himself discipline-wise. And Jonny's 27 points beat Rob Andrew's record of 24 for a Calcutta Cup match.

Jonny and the rest of us were hugely relieved the only injury he picked up was a fat lip, and he said the rest of the game went like a dream.

So, a great start for England. Bring on Italy next week!

Or read my Ten Word Review

Half Term Report

The Men In Black had a great game against Narbonne on 14th January. They beat the French visitors by 47-20. Here's a shot from the match:

You can see more pictures from that game at rugbypix.com, as usual.

So Saracens are on course for a great half term report, having won their pool in the European Rugby Cup, which means they get a home Quarter Final. They play Glasow Warriors again (having beaten them once in Watford and drawn the return leg at Glasgow), on the last weekend in March.

They also beat London Irish 19-8 at Watford on 28th Jan, meaning they move up to 5th in the Premiership table, heady heights indeed! Plus, they have one match in hand as they still have to play the postponed game against Irish at Reading on the third weekend of March.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the Six Nations games this coming weekend. Especially with the return of Jonny at No. 10 and the inclusion of Andy Farrell at 12! Well worth watching. Dave Woods asks if Faz's presence will encourage some of our League brethren to watch the match too.

Normal Service Resumed

After a break for Christmas and the New Year, I shall resume normal service for 2007, blogging and blethering to myself. If anyone's listening, that's great. And talking of Christmas, if you're now suffering from the excesses of the Festive Season, you might raise a chuckle at the Halfbakery's suggestion of a Trolley For Dieters.

Now, on to the rugby... what's been happening since I last posted?

• Brian Ashton got the job as England Head Coach (I'm sure you know that already). He's now picked his squad for the Six Nations and beyond, naming Phil Vickery as Captain [see right].
• Some surprises in the squad - Billy Whizz is back from International retirement. Lawrence Dallaglio doesn't even make it into the England Saxons squad. Jonny Wilkinson gets the nod as one of three No. 10's, but is still not fully fit from his last injury and isn't likely to be playable for the first game against Scotland.

Meanwhile, Sarries have been doing OK over the break. They beat Quins away on 22nd, and Northampton at home on 27th December, but lost away at Leicester on New Year's Day. As of now they sit at 5th in the Premiership table. Heady heights indeed - let's hope they can keep it up in the second half of the season!

My next visit will be for their home game against Narbonne (European Challenge Cup match) on 14th January - so I'll post some photos after that.

A Roundup Of News

Lots of news regarding the impending England vs New Zealand game on Sunday:

Impossible job? Mike Ford, England's defence coach, has one of the toughest jobs in rugby right now. Let's hope he's been doing his homework!

Two guys that we will miss on the pitch, and won't be able to renew their sparring from last year (see above) are Mark Cueto and Dan Carter. Cueto failed to recover from injury sustained in a Heineken Cup game against the Ospreys. Carter, meanwhile, is rested by Graham Henry ahead of the All Blacks' games against France and Wales. Nick Evans gets the nod at No. 10.

England 'had to gamble on youth' - Shaun Perry (left) and Anthony Allen win their first caps against the All Blacks - what a baptism of fire! And Paul Sackey is primed for his England chance to impress. He certainly flies for Wasps on the Wing.

Old boy Iain Balshaw is shocked by his England chance at Fullback. I'm sure he'll make the most of it. And talking of renaissances, lock Ben Kay has recently found his form again. All in all, Graham Henry expects England to come out on the attack when they take the field in front of a record 82,000 fans on Sunday.

Comback Kings?
Jonny Wilkinson is set for his latest comeback - how many is that now?
Hilly scored a try during his first match for Saracens in their Guinness A League defeat of Northampton, 43-12.And Dallaglio thinks if he doesn't get picked for the Six Nations squad next year, he's probably blown his chance at another pop at the World Cup.

One final thought:
The underdogs can triumph on the day - as Australia found out to their cost when they were beaten by the Ospreys last night! Well done, guys!

A Debut Try

Andy Farrell finally played a game of Rugby Union on Monday, starting for Saracens A in their game against NEC Harlequins. After such an injury-strewn year, he must have been hugely relieved, and perhaps proved it's been worth the wait, scoring a try on his maiden outing.

All fingers, toes and eyes crossed for his run of fitness to continue. Sarries are starting him at 6, although they think he might play at centre too.

And I notice today that Sarries have just signed another Scrum Half, Neil de Kock, from SA's Western Province. After their slightly disappointing draw against Bristol last weekend, let's hope they can get their first home win of the season this Sunday, against Newcastle.

The Falcons will be without Jonny again, who's done himself another mischief, this time in the right knee department. He did the same thing to his left knee last year and it was 9 weeks on the sidelines, so I doubt he'll be in the running for the Autumn Internationals. If you thought Farrell's catalogue of injuries was bad, Jonny just takes the biscuit! A speedy recovery to him!

Meanwhile, here's one of the few pictures I have of him running about! Taken in December 2004 when the Falcons visited Vicarage Road for a Zurich Premiership match.

Rob Gets The Job

Newcastle supremo Rob Andrew has landed the job of RFU Elite Director of Rugby, announced today. And good on him. He beat off Sir Clive for the post, and I think he has the universal respect amongst the Premiership Clubs' head honchos, and at HQ. Hopefully, he will be able to build some bridges which have been pretty battered of late, and sort out the whole club vs country battleground, once and for all.

I don't have any pictures of Mr Andrew himself, but here's one of his team Newcastle, when they visited Saracens in December 2004 for a Powergen Cup match. Jonny Wilkinson emerges from underneath a heap of bodies, including the sizeable figure of Saracens' Hooker Matt Cairns.

Roll Out The Farrell (Again)

Andy Robinson has named his Elite Player Squad for the 2006/07 season, and Sarries' Andy Farrell is once again on the list. Let's hope he's fit enough this year to actually get a run out on the park! Farrell apparently has an aura about him, akin to Martin Johnson. Perhaps a bit early in his Union career to be making such statements, but I would dearly love him to make a difference to the England team this year. God knows we need a boost somehow.

Similarly, Jonny Wilkinson returns to the White Jersey Brigade after his injury battles. I have seen him play for Newcastle and The Lions, but never managed to catch him playing for England. Fingers crossed.

Also, the usual close-season merry-go-round has finally stopped and we can now see who's sitting where (and who's got no chair when the music stops).

Here's a picture of Jonny lining up a penalty for the Lions vs Argentina game last year in Cardiff.