England manager Martin Johnson has plenty of food for thought
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The lack of real verve in this England team does them few favours writes Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times.
"Players such as Ugo Monye and Riki Flutey played with a fizz on the Lions tour, but here yesterday they were again subsumed into the morass. England desperately need a bigger profile in the media, they need the players to be out and seeking love and affection, not only for sponsors’ days but in the country at large.
"In my opinion, and I hold it strongly, the very best thing that could happen to this misfiring England team would be for their next game to take place at a big stadium away from south-west London, somewhere the viewing lines, the colour of the seats, the pubs and fixtures and fittings en route to the stadium, would all be different.
"And to further boost that effervescence, I think that England should cancel every training session between now and the Calcutta Cup in Edinburgh in a fortnight. Do not watch a DVD, do not sit in a team room, do not listen to the 50th speech of the season by the team manager or the captain, do not retreat behind the luxury and the walls of Pennyhill Park, their headquarters. Just go to Scotland, go onto the field and play, play with no checks and balances and preconception. Surprise your followers, who are all sitting right back in their seats, not on the edges."
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