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Having just read another article in the English press about the second coming of Martin Johnson and how he will fix all that is wrong in the world, I can’t help but think of the potential fall the great man might be about to take.
Every man and his dog in the UK believes that Johnson is the answer to their prayers and can return the team to its former (boring but undisputed) glory.
How he is supposed to do it is somewhat of a mystery.
He will not coach the team but apparently will dictate their style. How this will sit with the five (yes, that is five) coaches is not apparent either.
What makes it worse is that he has kept the whole coaching team that Ashton had and added another in the form of Brian Smith as attack coach, a role that Ashton used to fill.
This is in addition to Mike Ford (defence), John Wells (forwards), Jon Callard (kicking), and Graham Rowntree (scrummaging).
Apart from that, little has changed in the RFU.
Yes, the new agreement with the clubs will take affect giving the English team greater access to its players. But I don’t see that helping.
The Under 20 team was uninspiring and the senior team lacks any tactical nous, as seen in the recent series against New Zealand.
So when the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks all play at Twickenham, the English rugby public still expects Johnson to bring out a miracle and turn the current team of plodders into a formidable outfit.
As Zinzan Brooke says, “you would hate to be him.”
The only real question is how long will it take Stephen Jones to turn against the legend that is Martin Johnson, or will Rob Andrew keep taking the blame?
Oh yeah, I forgot about him. Yet another hurdle for Johnson.
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Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.