Jonny’s shock test selection
29 Jan 2007
Brian Ashton has picked Jonny Wilkinson to play test rugby after a 43 minute cameo at the weekend.
England plays Scotland in the opening round of the Six Nations and Wilkinson will start a test for England for the first time since the 2003 World Cup final. He is joined by fellow World Cup winners Jason Robinson, who has been lured out of international retirement, and Mike Tindall.
Former league legend Andy Farrell, who is in his first year as a rugby union player and was ordinary in the World XV’s defeat against the Springboks, plays at inside centre. The only backline player to survive from the team beaten by the Boks is Josh Lewsey, who shifts from fullback to wing.
In the pack Martin Corry, axed as captain, retains his position as No 8. Much of the pack is the same that the Boks handled with ease.
Ashton took over from Andy Robinson after the Poms won just one of their four Autumn internationals.
England (to play Scotland): 15 Iain Balshaw (Gloucester), 14 Josh Lewsey (Wasps), 13 Mike Tindall (Gloucester), 12 Andy Farrell (Saracens), 11 Jason Robinson (Sale Sharks), 10 Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), 9 Harry Ellis (Leicester), 8 Martin Corry (Leicester), 7 Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks), 6 Joe Worsley (Wasps), 5 Danny Grewcock (Bath), 4 Louis Deacon (Leicester), 3 Phil Vickery (Wasps, c), 2 George Chuter (Leicester), 1 Perry Freshwater (Perpignan). Subs: 16 Lee Mears (Bath), 17 Julian White (Leicester), 18 Tom Palmer (Wasps), 19 Lewis Moody (Leicester), 20 Peter Richards (Gloucester), 21 Toby Flood (Newcastle), 22 Mathew Tait (Newcastle).
44 Comments
29 Jan 2007, 21:43 pm
Can one man a World Cup maketh?
29 Jan 2007, 21:43 pm
One swallow does not make a summer.
29 Jan 2007, 21:44 pm
**** me. I’m first! And second. Going to try for third
29 Jan 2007, 21:45 pm
That is a humongous midfield combination!
29 Jan 2007, 21:45 pm
Ok Skim so I’m a **** and third. Too much pressure on Johnny the great white hope.
29 Jan 2007, 21:49 pm
The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?
29 Jan 2007, 21:52 pm
Excuse my intrusion onto your personal victory path through a numerical wonder world of self-indulgence.
29 Jan 2007, 21:57 pm
Johny, we are in real trouble, we have a inside centre who has never played a decent game of rugby union in his life & and the rest of the backs are pedestrian at best…
Any chance you could risk your future for a mean nothing game after only playing about 100 mins in 2 years?
How ’bout that?
29 Jan 2007, 21:58 pm
Strange thin is,
Since 2003, Johnny has probably played more test rugby that Shimange has.
29 Jan 2007, 21:58 pm
I see that all the guys on Superrugby tonight are punting the Bulls to do the best this year, although Joost did say that he had a funny feeling about the Stormers. It must be all the pretty boys in the Stormers team that has excited him so much.
29 Jan 2007, 22:00 pm
Although I agree with Joost and I love the Stormers, I get the idea that the funny feeling Joost is getting is simply low intellect.
29 Jan 2007, 22:04 pm
Joost & intelect? Is that proper?
29 Jan 2007, 22:06 pm
The Bill, it is indeed highly improper!
29 Jan 2007, 22:07 pm
True.
He played a hell of a game of rugby though.
29 Jan 2007, 22:14 pm
Exactly Skimmie, a F1 car is perfect for racing around a circuit, but is no good on a construction site.
Joost was great on a rugby field…
29 Jan 2007, 22:17 pm
The Bill, maybe he can lay bricks? Or mix concrete? Perhaps he would just be a handlanger?
29 Jan 2007, 22:21 pm
Not too sure, but Joost and the word brick kinda go together hey!
29 Jan 2007, 22:23 pm
For Sure!
29 Jan 2007, 22:52 pm
Jonny is nie dood nie!
29 Jan 2007, 22:55 pm
Not dead, but not seen alive & kicking on the field either… And now he has to cover for a # 12 that knows little about union.
30 Jan 2007, 00:25 am
the scots must be pretty excited about starting the campaign with a victory over the auld enemy. c’mon scotland. smash the poms.
30 Jan 2007, 00:38 am
Yeah, big up the Scots! Actually if the forwards can provide half decent ball, the Scottish backs know how to thow the pill about. They showed that last year!
They probably will be watering at the mouth to run at an unfit 10 & a greenhorn 12!
30 Jan 2007, 02:15 am
Look out for Johnnies new injury. Too much too soon.
Stormers are my team since the playing days of Morne Du Plessis. (earliest rugby memory)
My SP14 prediction. (bones are starting to talk)
I will follow the Sharks very closely as I believe they have the best chance as a SA team. The bulls will be competative but doubt they can ever win sp14. If you want a SA team that can go all the way it will be the Sharks. Best blend of experience and youth with a great draw. Stormers only have two or three great games per year, which show they can but they will not pull it through a whole season until they get a muir, rassie or Jennings as a coach and trust the pocket rocket.
30 Jan 2007, 06:18 am
9 skim,
LOL
30 Jan 2007, 08:56 am
Worlds best 10 in 2003.World cup medal winnner.
You would think that alone would be for Jonno to hang it up,especially in light of all back to back to back injuries he has sustained.
It would’nt be worth it going to the RWC with the current squad anyway.So why not give it up and cut your losses now ?
30 Jan 2007, 09:46 am
“In the pack Martin Corry, axed as captain, retains his position as No 8.”
Whos the new captain?
30 Jan 2007, 09:48 am
this is total desperation in my opinion, Rugby has moved on quite alot since 2003, this oak is just trying to get the 2003 team back lol.
England are in for a Looooooong Season.
30 Jan 2007, 09:49 am
Desperate times call for desperate meassures.
30 Jan 2007, 10:04 am
#26 Phil Vickery is the new captain.
Corry is also lucky to retain his spot as the Bristol no 8 (Ward-Smith)was tipped to be the starting 8, but dislocated his knee last weekend, crazy that they a) don’t know who the side is a week before kick off & b) that test players are playing for their clubs 7 days before kick off.
30 Jan 2007, 10:40 am
I suppose it speaks volumes about the make-up of the England squad that someone can be pulled in after half a Club match and after such a serious injury. On form he is certainly worth his place as all will agree. I hope the England team management know what they are doing.
30 Jan 2007, 10:55 am
Following my comment #30 Keo I would like to just comment on your assessment or comment about Andy Farrell.
I think he will be the surprise package of this 6 nations and I think that everybody is assessing him on a World XV game against the Springboks where you called him ordinary.
Of course he was ordinary in a representative match of players thrown together for the first time against a supposed cohesive unit like the boks.
He was also just back from a sustained period out due to a prolapse disc injury following a car accident.
He was also at the time playing for Saracens at Flanker whilst the England think tank wanted him to play at Centre. No wonder he was confused in that match.
Saries are now playing him at Centre and his team colleague Thomas Castagneide from France is quoted as saying this about Farrell.
“Andy Farrell tackled me in training a week ago, and I’m still aching. I’ll know to keep out of his way if I come across him in a few months time wearing an England jersey and I’m in France’s blue. But at least he has finally made his Premiership debut, and at least I can tell my grandchildren that I was on the same pitch – and I was glad to be on the same side – when he began his second career”.
Just do an Internet search on the man and you will find that he debutted for Wigan the England premier Rugby league club at I6 years old.
In his time at Wigan he scored 3135 points in 368 appearances. And that was at Flank.
He got his International debut for the Great Brittain RL side at 18 years against New Zealand and he captained the GB side at 21 years of age.
He made 34 appearances for the International RL side and was the youngest player to be named Player of the year.
So mark my words, anyone coming through the inside channel against England will get hurt. Defence has been a big part of what has gone wrong with England in recent times and was self evident after England scored the first try against teh All Blacks. Umaga and co waltzed through that inside channel remember……
So lets see…..
30 Jan 2007, 11:25 am
Pretty Boy Johnny, Robinson and Tindall back, Change of Capt, Andy Farrell, Lewsey to wing…………….
It’s just “deck chairs on the SS Titanic”.
30 Jan 2007, 11:35 am
“much of the pack is the same as the boks handled with ease”
I must have missed a match. Surely that is not a reference to the recent match where the England forwards defence forced the Saffas to go for another record of drop goal attempts ?
One eyed reporting trying to stir up confidence ahead of another big fall I suspect.
30 Jan 2007, 11:36 am
Oh, Jester, you forgot one thing though.
Rugby is made up of offence and defence, unlike league with it’s gauranteed possesion and soft forwards.
30 Jan 2007, 11:39 am
AAP, Ha funny that. No offence intended.
So you maintain that Johnny went for that Drop Goal in the final becuase the Aus forward pack were defending well and forced him to? Or was it because it was a set play as defined by Johnson on the field?
Not only are you missing the match you seem to have missed a few seasons.
30 Jan 2007, 11:41 am
Tiger shark, THAT drop goal was done because there were only a few seconds to go on the clock and it was a dead cert ( I was there ) – much quicker than running down the line with only seconds to go.
30 Jan 2007, 11:42 am
hey what happened to the other reporter they had last year – andrew i think ??
30 Jan 2007, 11:47 am
Yes, it was Andrew Hollely – what happened to him ?
30 Jan 2007, 11:48 am
He moved on.
30 Jan 2007, 12:04 pm
Um… AAP.
Time has no relevence, so long as the ball remained in play the whistle cannot go until the movement breaks down.
So, your assumption is actually risk based and not time based.
So, is there more risk in driving the ball upfield into contact with your forwards, for at least 5 phases or is there more risk in running the ball down the line?
Remember, if Johnny missed the game would be over… so define risk.
30 Jan 2007, 12:07 pm
AAP (Using a Naasism) On the other hand. Steyn was simply drop kicking the ball to gaurantee the return of possesion from the subsequent 22 restart.
Which is a far better option in a tight test match than kicking a speculative up and under and allowing the English to attack from Broken Play or even running the ball back when you have no support runners with you.
Maybe why you are so confused is because a bok player actualy showed some intelligence in his play?
30 Jan 2007, 12:20 pm
Does the former Great Empire have any teams left in any sporting code in the top 5 of a world ranking?
30 Jan 2007, 12:37 pm
RedCard
I hear that their mixed doubles badminton team are in fifth.
30 Jan 2007, 16:03 pm
Red Card do you know where SA are in the IRB test cricket rankings.. Don’t know well I’ll tell thee ..6th (See below) England are **** in the One dayers but you did ask whether the great empire is in the top 5 in any sporting code…
Team Matches Points Rating
Australia 43 5807 135
England 47 5344 114
Pakistan 38 4092 108
And tiger Shark, I appreciate that the game is offence and defence and mentioned if you read posting number 31 that Andy Farrell had scored 3135 points in 368 games for rugby league side Wigan. I made the point about defence because it clearly is Englands achilles heel over past few games.
And Tigershark you obviously haven’t played Rugby League to call their forwards soft…. Suspect you are a surf pulling durbanite.
India 38 4056 107
Sri Lanka 36 3686 102
South Africa 42 4274 102
New Zealand 28 2602 93
West Indies 33 2378 72
Zimbabwe 15 415 28
Bangladesh 22 48 2
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