They say in democracy you get the leadership you deserve. In organized sport, it is an equal truth that a team is as much a product of its coach than any other factor.
Taking the Ireland versus England final Six Nations match on Saturday early evening in Dublin, we see an English team that is firmly shaped in the image of their Manager, Martin Johnson.
Whilst we are happy to praise players when teams succeed, often it is the under-lying culture and the small things that teams do that defines them and is so often evident in their play under pressure.
It is clear Robbie Deans’ attitude to the game, beliefs on personal behavior, and team ethos, is clearly reflected in his selection, playing style and, ultimately, the Wallabies’ performance.
The majority of the press coverage following the Irish emphatic win has concentrated on the inspired performance of the men in green and the inexperience of the current English Test team as the main reasons for the result.
I would suggest differently.
The Ireland match was the first opportunity Johnson’s England had to actually achieve success. This is a very different pressure from the fear of failure, the backs-to-the-wall attitude that comes from under-performance or inconsistent results, which has dogged Johnson’s national team directorship.
In their ineptitude, the England team expressed the fundamental values of a Johnson team.
There were a number of clear, repeat aspects of their play that reflects the type of manager Johnson is. None of these occurrences have been much mentioned in the media, but they demand examination.
1. Ahead of the kicker at re-starts.
This is honestly a schoolboy-type error most First XVs would be embarrassed to make. I have watched England repeatedly over the Six Nations and they regularly infringe this law.
2. Throwing the ball away to avoid the opposition taking a quick lineout.
This aspect has crept into the game in recent times and needs to be stamped out.
Just as Drew Mitchell was sent off in a Test match in 2010, so Youngs was sin-binned for a blatant professional foul. Ashton should have received the same punishment in the second half, in fact.
3. Youngs trying the sly push on the arm of the opposing halfback to disrupt the put in at the scrum. Another penalty.
4. Blatantly attacking the head of opponents both in general play and in mauls, which resulted in penalties against England.
5. The blatant trash-talk of the Irish players by the English: witness Ashton’s rant to Sexton after his first successful kick.
Why is this instructive?
All these aspects can so easily be removed from a team’s conduct, and should be in the professional era. I do not need to spell out the remedies, as they are so obvious.
Importantly, good teams fundamentally respect their opposition, the referee and the game.
This not to say one should weaken one’s competitiveness or aggression. And, of course, teams are always working on the margins to gain whatever advantage they can, physically or otherwise.
But such blatant, doltish tactics should have been ironed out of the squad in the first week of competitive training. It says much of Johnson, and the behavior he condones, that such imbecilic behavior was so evident in the biggest, potentially most euphoric, match for a side under his control.
Good teams are always pushing the boundaries, no doubt. But composed teams appreciate that, in a contest, the opposition will win possession, will retain the ball, and will have the opportunity to score points.
The idiotic actions as evidenced on Saturday evening in Dublin, simply give away possession, often without a fight, and put the side in a compromised position.
The real test is how in defence, or otherwise, a team deals with these challenges. In their response, Johnson’s England have firmly nailed their colours to the mast.
I don’t know Johnson as a person, but I have seen him play. And while there’s no question he is a great champion (a World Champion captain, no less), great players do not make great coaches.
Nor can they then shape great teams.
Colin N
Guest
I think Johnson has done a very good job, even though, as has been alluded to, he isn't technically a coach as such. He's basically rebuilt a side from scratch and has steadily introduced a stream of young talent which has formed a core of a squad to take us forward.
Colin N
Guest
"I thought Joubert had an excellent game and is arguably at least in the top 3 of international refs today." Which game are you talking about? Joubert didn't take charge of Ireland-England, it was Bryce Lawrence and he was awful. The referee has a huge problem when he can't referee any part of the game consistently
Ben S
Roar Guru
You're all over the place: Johnson isn't a coach. He doesn't coach. Why does the England side lack leaders? Because there was a missing generation post-Robinson. If you took the time to examine the amount of caps per man the England squad that played in the 6N had then the answer as to why England lacks leadership might become pretty obvious. England are dreadfully predictable. Really? One moment of silliness from Youngs confirms that something is amiss with the coaching set-up? Utter nonsense.
Patrick
Guest
The author is basically on the right track with this article, although I would qualify it further to say that great players who has a penchant for losing their composure (as Jonno did regularly) have a difficult time imposing discipline as coaches. England can be much better than they are, but need to rediscover the mental control that the 2003 squad possessed.
Jonathan Cox
Guest
Thanks for the comments guys. Not my bi line as itsuckstobeyou points out. As for the isolated incident comment re, Youngs, I am afraid in test matches the tiniest actions make a difference. Quite reasonably professional teams spend hours on meeting, talking and pouring over the minor detail in preparation. Of course the occasion and the emotion do get the better of some. However this only fortifies my point with regards to the current England crop and their coaches/management. The other two articles I could have written are: Why England lacks leaders and Why England are dreadfully predictable but will likely make the semi finals of the World Cup. Matthews, Blight, Simpson not lost on me at all. Finally I am not saying champion players can't make champion coaches rather in this instance this person (with no coaching experience prior to the job) is reflected in his teams performance for mine.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Quoting from the article, "great players do not make great coaches. Nor can they then shape great teams." The names Malcolm Blight or Leigh Matthews don't mean much to the author, I guess. And Maradonna has hardly been the worst coach Argentina have ever had. Bob Simpson did pretty well in the coaching game as well.
Ben S
Roar Guru
[shakes head in amazement]
sixo_clock
Roar Guru
Good read, well done. Throughout his playing career I thought MJ was personally in conflict with the ethos you espoused above. Consequently it would be amazing to see him passing on any respect for the game, its laws, the opposition or the ref. That is probably the root of the problem and a lesson for all team administrators. I thought Joubert had an excellent game and is arguably at least in the top 3 of international refs today.
itsuckstobeyou
Roar Pro
It would appear that the author has had his title changed from "Why England Are Badly Coached" to "Great players do not make great coaches" by the editor. This would explain why the piece didn't quite relate to the title. It would make for an interesting read though.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
It's just silly to use these incredibly specific instances - e.g Youngs throwing the ball into the crowd - as some sort of definitive proof that Johnson can't coach. Frankly, you could take any number of incidents in any particular game and use them to damn the coach - e.g. Keven Mealamu's head-butt on Lewis Moody could be said to prove that Graham Henry can't control his players. Complete nonsense, of course, but one could make the case if one was inclined to simplistic judgements. I much prefer to judge coaches in the round, on the broadest of evidence. Overall, Johnson has taken the youngest, least experienced team in the tournament to their first title since 2003. I think that ought to rank as a pretty good effort by anyone's standards.
Nicko
Guest
And until England find some backs who can pass and make space they'll struggle in big games.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Then Sam, wouldn't the coach stamp them out? The coach should surely instill discipline, and if he is pissed off when discipline goes out the window, then he would surely make his feelings known either at halftime, fulltime, and the next training session. The kick off issue has been going since they toured here at the start of last year. I haven't seen the game, so can't comment on the other issues.
SamSport
Roar Pro
I don't think that great players are necessarily bad coaches, however great players are NOT necessarily good coaches. Fred Allen was a great player and coach, as was Grizz Wyllie, but both Buck Shelford and Graham Mourie were brilliant players (and captains) but average coaches. I don't know whether the stupid things England did in the Ireland match (and you've covered them) are the fault of the coach though. Although if I was Martin Johnson I'd be pretty pissed off with the team for some of the dumb things they did.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I can't wait 'til Ben S gets his teeth stuck into this nonsense...