Johnson keeps positive outlook for domestic season
England rugby coach, Martin Johnson, says he wants to take positives into the new domestic season as he will start the tireless routine of watching sides up and down England as he scans for new players.
England played well in Australia, which contradicted many of the views and opinions that were made before the side went on their tour of the Southern Hemisphere. Johnson has said that it's important for English rugby to focus on the positives ahead of the new season, which looks set to be one of the most competitive for the last few years.
England had an impact in Australia for one of the only times in the history of them touring the country. Although they finished on a losing note in New Zealand, this proves that the quality of rugby in England is higher than it has ever been and this has to reflect onto the national team.
The pessimists are going to argue that the Premiership is full of foreign players and because of this the standard of rugby in the country is not as high as many fans or Johnson may think. However, English sides have good players and it will be very difficult for Johnson to narrow down the list of potential players due to the quality on show.
Consistency
There is a greater level of consistency from English players in their club sides and the international team. These players have started playing for England in the same way they do for their cub sides and this has led the country to fight to some good wins over international teams.
Consistency is everything in rugby because it is not an easy game to play. The ball can get bogged down and it can become very frustrating for players to have an impact if they are not in good form. Therefore if a side can find consistency across all areas of the team then it means that they will start to win more matches.
This is certainly something that the England team have started to do much better and they must take this forward into future games. The worry is how England players will start the domestic season. If they look to be in good form then they have shown that there isn't a problem in terms of transferring that form over.
Harder Than Ever
Johnson has said that it is going to be harder than ever for him to keep track of players because so many Englishman are playing well. Some will start the new season well while others will fall off of the radar but the point is that he has a greater amount of quality to choose from than he has done over the last couple of years.
The win over Australia in the last test of the Southern Hemisphere tour seems to have created a real buzz and excitement around English rugby. Johnson says that this means players are going to start raising their game and trying to get a piece of the action, which will make his life more difficult as a coach but in a good way.
Betting Advice
Take advantage of the positive vibes floating around the England team while you can. Many England fans will start worrying about how long this golden spell is going to last and if all of the key English players start the season well then don't be afraid to back the national side.
Keep tabs on a few up and coming stars because you may be able to bet on the possibility of them getting into the England team within a certain time.
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