THE last time that Sir Clive Woodward threw his pieces into the air with such abandon he was plain Clive and England had just let slip a grand slam, against Ireland in 2001. On that occasion it took the head coach some time to admit that poor selection had been to some degree responsible for England’s downfall in Dublin. Here it has taken less than 72 hours.
The knock-on effect of the 36-3 defeat by New Zealand in Dunedin has been six changes to the side that will start the second international against the All Blacks, at Eden Park here on Saturday. They include Steve Borthwick and Joe Worsley, forwards whom Woodward admitted should have started at Carisbrook rather than being held back until the second half. “Maybe I didn’t pick on form last weekend,” he said. “We made errors in selection but we needed that game to find it out.”
The irony of Woodward including in his diary yesterday a “cup of tea” with Martin Johnson escaped no one. Johnson, England’s World Cup captain who retired from international rugby in January, is on a series of speaking engagements in Australasia coinciding with England’s tour — “he’s brought his microphone, not his boots,” the coach quipped — but it is hard to imagine that he would have allowed either Keith Robinson, the All Blacks lock, or Jonathan Kaplan, the referee, to inflict so many indignities on England at the weekend.
Four players have been cut from the 22-strong squad entirely — Mike Catt, James Simpson-Daniel, Steve Thompson and Chris Jones. Catt may now have used up his nine lives. Two more, Matt Dawson and Danny Grewcock, are among the replacements, which leaves England with no more than six of the XV that started the World Cup final against Australia nearly seven months ago, and neither Josh Lewsey nor Richard Hill is playing in the same position.
It is change on a massive scale and brings in Tom Voyce, for what is, in effect, his first cap (though he came on as a replacement against the United States in 2001), Stuart Abbott, Andy Gomarsall, Mark Regan, Borthwick and Worsley. The bench includes two uncapped players in Andy Titterrell, the Sale Sharks hooker, and Michael Lipman, the Bath open-side flanker, while Fraser Waters has only one cap to his name, from the 2001 tour to North America.
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Borthwick is given the duty of lineout calls, an area that has been underperforming of late. He took over that role last weekend from Jones but it is a responsibility that the Sale flanker might not have relished at this early stage of his international career, even if he does it for his club.
“When Thompson and Dawson are at their best, I would pick them ahead of anyone in the world,” Woodward said. Thompson, though, has been flat since the World Cup and Dawson has played relatively little rugby in the past four months and has been in negotiations to leave Northampton after 12 years.
England will persevere with Hill at open-side flanker, convinced that he kept Richie McCaw under wraps for the first half in Dunedin and that the errors came elsewhere — in the free rein given to Jono Gibbes and the shining lights in New Zealand’s back division, Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. However, England will not be distressed at the news that Howlett is out and McCaw doubtful.
Howlett damaged a shoulder in a heavy tackle from Mike Tindall, named England vice-captain for the first time. His place on New Zealand’s wing goes to Mils Muliaina, full back last weekend, and Nick Evans, of the Highlanders, will make his first start in the No 15 jersey. McCaw has come through tests after a heavy blow to the head but there is concern that he is suffering from headaches and Marty Holah stands by to replace him.
“I would rather have won the World Cup and be getting a few hammerings now than the other way round,” Woodward said. “The fallout since the World Cup has been more dramatic than I thought it would be but it’s not something I’ll lose sleep over. Either we front up or we stay in our rooms and lock the door.”
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HOW THEY LINE UP
NEW ZEALAND: N Evans (North Harbour); M Muliaina (Auckland), T Umaga (Wellington, captain), D Carter (Canterbury), J Rokocoko (Auckland); C Spencer (Auckland), J Marshall (Canterbury); K Meeuws (Auckland), K Mealamu (Auckland), C Hayman (Otago), C Jack (Canterbury), K Robinson (Waikato), J Gibbes (Waikato), R McCaw (Canterbury) or M Holah (Waikato), X Rush (Auckland). Replacements: A Hore (Taranaki), A Woodcock (North Harbour), J Collins (Wellington), M Holah or C Newby (North Harbour), B Kelleher (Waikato) or J Cowan (Southland), A Mehrtens (Canterbury), S Tuitupou (Auckland).
ENGLAND: J Lewsey (London Wasps); T Voyce (London Wasps), M Tindall (Bath), S Abbott (London Wasps), B Cohen (Northampton); C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), A Gomarsall (Gloucester); T Woodman (Sale Sharks), M Regan (Leeds Tykes), J White (Leicester), S Shaw (London Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), J Worsley (London Wasps), R Hill (Saracens), L Dallaglio (London Wasps, captain). Replacements: A Titterrell (Sale Sharks), M Stevens (Bath), D Grewcock (Bath), M Lipman (Bath), M Dawson (Northampton), O Barkley (Bath), F Waters (London Wasps).