It’s a good job the England football team are back on track and Ricky Hatton retained his world title in Las Vegas because, for rugby fans, the cricket results from India and the rugby results from everywhere are nothing short of terminally embarrassing for English sport. We can mutter about the gruesome tortures we would visit upon Messrs Duckworth and Lewis and grumble about the lack of experienced England rugby caps but, at the end of the day, we might just have to concede that we’ve gone the same way as the Australians and that it’s a struggle for us to be good at sport any more.

The England Rugby Union captain, Martin Lewis, bites his nails while International Rugby Board members stroke their beards and calculate the revised standings to reveal England’s position in the international rankings. A loss of fourth place will expose England to being drawn in a group with a southern hemisphere team to contend with. Although three years away, the draw for the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup takes place next month and the England team will have to live with whatever lot it has drawn.

Johnson Requires A Man Like Himself On The Field

Martin Johnson is refreshingly honest when compared with other hapless individuals in our society such as team captains, coaches, politicians and bankers. He readily admits to every weakness it is suggested that he or the team might have. He aggressively declares his intention to remedy every ill and bring the team up to scratch. Two questions remain. Has he got the players and is he good enough? The prospects are bleak. Martin has no previous experience as a coach. Furthermore, he lacks the presence on the field of a strong captain in much the same mould as himself. His players are inexperienced and would probably not find their way into any of the southern hemisphere teams. He may well have the enthusiasm but, unless he can show that he has the tactical and strategic vision and the ability to communicate it to the players, Rugby Union betting enthusiasts must accept that we will float around in the doldrums for some time to come.