It does help having 1 or 2 decent backs to choose from at the moment.

Strange logic. Being a good brain surgeon would not make you a good heart surgeon, either. Or a bad one. But it would fairly entitle people to claim that you can operate.


Did he? Is this the same Tony Smith that was International Coach of the Year in 2007, or are you thinking of some other Tony Smith?

Indeed... Good to see things have moved on since the days of Gardner, Calderwood, Smith and Goulding.

Yeh, that was Casper.

At the end of the day look who the Kiwis had missing. Vatuvei, Moimoi, Pritchard, Eastwood, Hohia, Sau, Matai, Fein, Rapira, Kenny Dowell, Perrett, Inu, Harrison. As if we'd have got anywhere near with a side full of the above.

If my auntie had balls. . .

We've beaten NZ before with all those players in the side at some stage anyway. Some aren't very good anyway.

Reaching the final isn't that big a deal. If we win it though and come up with a first series against the Aussies in 42 years (I think - may be wrong) then you have to give the bloke praise.

She still wouldn't have as much as your posts do.

thank god for that, a post worth responding to. spot on, winning the final would deserve praise.

Maybe if someone had a pair they could accept calling it badly wrong and in the most shrilling tones for 4 and a bit years with a tad more grace.

Tut tut, ME, nothing to say so back to the personal attacks as per usual. Poor form, but you always revert to type. This is your third consecutive post with personal insults aimed in my direction. It is good to know my logic upsets you so much you are lost for a civilised response.



Sadly it wouldn't matter if we did, as I said, even if McNamara won it for 30 years this would make no difference in the slightest to his detractors. But you are, of course, right. More to the point would be how England plays in the Final. It could (just for example) be a titanic struggle with brilliant rugby from both sides and we could lose by a drop goal in the last second. The entire performance would be childishly but inevitably dismissed by some as irrelevant, and useless.

I actually sort of understand that; after all the years of abject failure and frustration, I know and share the feeling that we simply have to win, and nothing else will do, but to the fair-minded who can assess a performance objectively, we could lose but still put up a clearly very well coached display, as opposed to some of the capitulations of the past.

Thus finding a way to win against a team which is without doubt the world's best would I think be a definite proof of coaching ability; but the mere losing to a higher class squad would not in itself prove anything. It would be how we played.

Thanks!

Don't think the compliment gets you off the hook though.