Rugby Internationals – weekend review
If Fabio Capello is looking for any advice on how to motivate an underachieving side, he may want to give Martin Johnson a call.
On a weekend where the failures of the national football side grabbed all the headlines, little fuss or celebration was made of their rugby counterparts brilliant win 21-20 against Australia. It was a performance that was a vast improvement on their defeat in Perth, England footballers take note, it was full of passion, determination and a surprising sprinkle of flair.
Tries from the impressive Ben Youngs and Northampton winger Chris Ashton, plus a sterling defensive performance from the forwards proved the catalyst for the well deserved win. "We always want to win," Johnson, the England team manager, said. "The pressure from the outside and the negativity around the team when you are not getting results makes it difficult for the people around you.
"I have said all week I don't worry about my record or my job – today we showed we can play. It was a huge effort for the players to front up in the last game of the season."
The England team’s hugs and high-fives after the final whistle illustrated what this meant to them, the pressure of failure had been lifted and with the World Cup on the horizon, the future looks increasingly brighter.
England winger Ben Foden was clearly delighted with the victory.
“It takes a bit of pressure off us now,” he said. “You've got to have the right guys at the top steering the ship and I'm happy for the coaches and management who have taken a bit of flak over the last couple of months. We owed them a big performance and result.
“This is my greatest day as a rugby player. It is an unbelievable feeling to beat Australia. Hopefully we can kick on from this.”
There were far less reasons to be positive for Wales though, as they continued their terrible record against New Zealand with a 42-9 defeat. It is now 57 years since the Welsh have beaten the All Blacks.
Despite the one-sided score-line, Wales were in fact only 15-9 down early in the second half and television match official Matt Goddard has admitted that Wales had good cause to feel aggrieved after referee George Clancy got a big decision wrong in their mauling by the All Blacks.
Irish official Clancy failed to award Warren Gatland's men a penalty when New Zealand centre Conrad Smith illegally claimed the ball and created a 32nd-minute try for Cory Jane at a pivotal time at Carisbrook.
Despite the one-sided score line, Gatland was still positive after the match.
“If we had been on tour in another country, getting a result and doing OK, it gives you a false sense of where you're at,” he said. “So I don't think we've taken a backward step from the South Africa game (a 34-31 loss) at all. I'd like to play that team every week because we'll get better.”
One team that did break an un-wanted record this weekend was Scotland, who managed to win a Test series away from home for the first time in their history.
Saturday night’s 13-9 victory over Argentina in Mar Del Plata, coming after last weekend’s 24-16 victory in Tucuman, also gave Scotland their third consecutive away victory – for the first time in a quarter of a century.
“I think that this series win gives us belief in what we are trying to do,” coach Andy Robinson said post match.
“There are times when you have to win ugly and win with courage and we showed a lot of courage out there.”
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