If England fail to improve on their performance against Australia when they play Argentina at Twickenham tomorrow, the pressure on Martin Johnson could move closer to breaking point, with several critics already arguing that he lacks the experience and tactical acuity for the role of team manager.
One of the criticisms levelled against him after last weekend was that the side appeared to lack a coherent game plan but if should that happen again, according to Ugo Monye at least, the responsibility for it will rest only with the players and their failure to implement clear and correct instructions.
“It would be easy to hide behind Martin – and not only because he is so big - but he is not out there on the pitch,” the Harlequins player said. “He gave us quite a clear game plan and one that would have worked if we had executed it properly. Our failure to do so wasn’t down to him.”
Monye, who has retained his place at full back having made his debut in the position for England against Australia, also refuted the popular verdict that England underperformed against inexperienced opponents at Twickenham, suggesting that only a failure to convert opportunities cost them the match.
“I thought we performed well but we turned over too much ball and just didn’t capitalise on the chances that we created,” he said. “We set up situations where we had four players on three, and three on two, but did not take advantage, which was very disappointing.
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“This week we’ve been working on being more precise in our play, creating quicker ball for our backs and on increasing our intensity. Argentina will provide very tough opposition but if we can create the same kind of chances, and convert them, I’m confident that we can win.”
Monye was satisfied with his own performance overall, though he admitted to being caught out of position when he allowed Adam Ashley-Cooper to score Australia’s second try in their 18-9 victory. He is confident that tomorrow will provide him with more opportunity to show his ability to run with the ball.
“Martin was quite positive this week, starting with his post-match analysis, and there is still a real buzz about this squad. If you look at a year ago, we were losing and playing badly. Yes, we lost on Saturday but we have made a lot of progress and we will get things right.”
Monye, 26, has had an eventful 12 months since making his international debut against the Pacific Islands. Selected for the British and Irish Lions in the summer, he was heavily criticised and lost his place after the first match against South Africa only to regain it for the final Test when he scored a superb try to seal victory.
A month later, his fortunes slumped again when the reputation of his club was ruined by the “Bloodgate” scandal in which Tom Williams, a team-mate, chewed a fake blood capsule so that he could be replaced during a Heineken Cup match last season.
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A devout Christian who attends church regularly and leads Bible class, Monye seriously questioned his commitment to a club that could act so unethically. “It was really tough,” he says, pointing out that he was unaware the club had cheated. “I was sad for what we did and what we put people through.
“But I’ve put it behind me and, after a period at the beginning of the season when we struggled – the whole club did - we’ve come through it tighter as a group.”
Williams was banned for four months but Moyes is confident he will eventually return unscathed. “He is a tough cookie,” Monye says. “I’ve spoken to him a lot and I’ve no doubt that he’ll come back even stronger.”
Ugo Monye will wear limited edition white and purple Nike Mercurial Superfly boots against Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday, created to celebrate the launch of the new Nike purple change kit, both available to buy at Niketown London and www.nikestore.com/rugby.