Johnno picks his team for Samoa

Hi, it’s Johnno here again. Sorry I haven’t updated my blog for a few days - it’s taken me a while to get over Friday night!

Torture it was. England were just so poor - it’s hard for anyone to watch that. But it’s time to look forward to the crunch game with Samoa on Saturday. Brian Ashton has some big decisions.

I don’t know if wholesale changes are required. It’s good news to have Jonny Wilkinson back. At every level, not having a regular number 10 playing for you is a big disadvantage. Wilko’s a top-class player - he’ll help everything; variety of kick offs, directing the play, strong defence and kicking at goal.

I think they’ll have to play Danny Hipkiss at 13 and Mike Catt at 12. A lot of people were criticising Andy Farrell after the South Africa game, but in a team performance which is that disappointing, I don’t think any individual can be picked out. Having said that, I think Wilkinson at 10 and Catt at 12 would be our first-choice team. Elsewhere in the backs, I think Andy Gomersal will start at scrum half, Josh Lewsey will probably drop back to full-back to replace Jason Robinson while Mark Cueto will return on the wing.

Up front, Matt Stevens scrummaged pretty well but Phil Vickery will probably replace him as he’s captain. George Chuter will start. The back five may be somewhere which gets a bit of change. I would like to see Lewis Moody and Joe Worsley start to give us a dynamic back row and put Martin Corry back in the second row.

We’ll find out whether Brian agrees later in the week. I’ll be back to give my views on the team and preview the Samoa game in more detail. Bye for now!

Comments

[dareth dobbing]

ITS THE SAME IN ALL ENGLISH SPORT TOO MANY FOREIGN PLAYERS IN KEY POSITIONS BEING PAID STUPID MONEY TO TRY AND PERFORM INSTEAD OF USING POTENTIALLY CLASS ENGLISH PLAYERS IN THOSE POSITIONS.

[DB]

Your team certainly looks the strongest given the squad, except Vickery's still suspended so he's out.

I went to Friday's game not knowing where the points would come from, at least with Hipkiss we have a player capable of making breaks and Cueto is much more potent on the wing than at fullback but given his lack of form I suspect Tait will get the call there.

[Rita-Marie Lawlor]

I'm sure it was absolute torture for you having to watch that. I was quite surprised at that result - but I think I was one of the few who wasn't writing England off! I thought it would've been close. Not impressed with any of the home sides so far - although France hammered Namibia - which Ireland should have done. I hope I am proven wrong, but I can see a repeat of England and South Africa with Ireland and France - I'm not sure if Ireland will get any points up at all. I really don't think I can face watching it on Friday to be honest and it's terrible to feel that way. The thing that baffles me is, the players are there - they're all so capable of beating these top teams, there's something seriously wrong going on both in the England and Ireland camps, there's no spark - no magic and no 'click'. Talk about pulling rabbits out of hats...
I just feel sorry for the amount of fans who have re-mortgaged their houses to go to France - didn't think I'd be saying this but I think I'm one of the lucky ones who didn't go!!
Eddie O'Sullivan has his players like 'puppets on a string' - saying words with no meaning in them. I think it's goodbye to him and Brian Ashton after this disastrous World Cup. Here's to another four years...

RM.