In last Sunday’s paper Stephen Jones said France would beat England by 12 points and that those who backed Stuart Lancaster’s candidacy were misguided. Jones fails to appreciate the interim head coach has a rare gift for identifying, aligning and enabling talent.
Piers Robinson,via email
Stephen Jones is wrong not to support Stuart Lancaster. High-profile appointments do not guarantee success; just expensive payoffs. Clive Woodward had no senior international coaching experience when given the top job.
Martin Pettman, via email
Has Stephen Jones lost the plot? England are a new team with a new manager. Give them a chance.
Baz Jackson,Barton on Humber
Can The Sunday Times donate a copy of rugby’s laws to England’s forwards? The number of penalties they give away is alarming.
John Chesworth, Bury St Edmunds
Not content with ruining a World Cup semi-final, Alain Rolland tried for a repeat in Paris. Charlie Sharples was sin-binned after a genuine interception attempt. Wesley Fofana committed a far more blatant offence and stayed on the field. Mr Rolland seems to think every game needs an eye-catching intervention from himself.
Alun Protheroe, London
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This year’s Six Nations has confirmed rugby union has lost its subtlety and spontaneity and is now all about power and the set play. Where are the dummies, feints, swerves and sidesteps?
Richard Peters, Oxford
In a world where freedom of movement and marriage render the concept of nationhood increasingly tenuous, it is hard to accept the comments of David Walsh (last week) while he is happy to applaud the achievements of a South African-inspired England cricket team.
Michael Barrows, Birmingham
Britain picks foreigners because coaches are set targets to win Olympic medals, presumably incentivised by banker-style bonuses. Setting targets might work in industry but is silly in sport, where success depends on the effectiveness of one’s opponents.
Adrian Perry, Sheffield
How does Didier Drogba reconcile his persistent cheating with blessing himself so often before and during a match? Twice near the end of the Napoli game in midweek he collapsed as if poleaxed, yet television replays showed he had been barely touched. The lowlight was his careful opening of one eye to see what effect his antics were having on the referee.
Frank McGurk, Sterrebeek, Belgium
As a QPR supporter for 60-odd years, I want to thank Rod Liddle for his article on Flavio Briatore and Gianni Paladini (last week). With Bernie Ecclestone’s help, those two ruined a wonderful ‘family club’. At least in Tony Fernandes we seem to have an owner who loves QPR.
Stephen Grey, Castalla, Spain
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QPR scored a goal that should have been disallowed for offside last weekend after being denied a goal that should have stood. Mark Hughes chose to highlight the latter but not the former.
Nigel Campbell, Croydon
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The Sports Editor, The Sunday Times, 3 Thomas More Square, London E98 1ST
email: sportletters@sunday-times.co.uk