As I understand it his principal role will be management, not coaching, so his playing position is irrelevant surely?

Well, if that's the case, why did Ashton get shafted out of his job as [i"Head Coach"[/i then?

Ashton was Head Coach.
The stucture has now been changed with the introduction of Johnson and Rob Andrew

If what I saw of this mornings tri-series game is anything to go by Rugby Union as it was, no longer exists.

The war is almost over.

There are over 2million registered, english rugby union players according to the chairman of sale sharks

Oh that changes everything - if Rob Andrew is coaching a team in his own image, then England will be bristling with flair and expansive back play.

we just smashed ''the all blacks'' ''springboks'' last week

looking good

I take it that it was played in a manner more suited to RL ?

From what I saw of it, it was very quick with the ball in play approaching League levels. The scrums were less intense and the line outs were few and far between. Nearly all the penalties were run from the mark rather than hoofed upfield for the line out.

It looks like there's been some serious dabbling with the laws and the result looks like a kick in the nuts to the die hard Union traditionalists.

At least that was the impression I got.

It's similar to League in the approach to rule making. The Aussies identify areas of the game where they're not dominant then try to get them taken out of the equation.



Most of the offences at the ruck and maul under the ELVs are free kicks now rather than penalties, which is why so many would have been run rather than kicked.

What did Lawrence Dayglo do then?