England backs offer glimmer of light

Depending on your outlook, England’s scintillating try early in Saturday’s 12-10 defeat by grand-slam champions France was either the first hint of a bright future or confirmation that coach Martin Johnson is clueless.

If you are of the “glass half-full” tendency then the sight of flyhalf Toby Flood, debutant wing Chris Ashton and fullback Ben Foden combining for a high-quality score, will have lifted the heart after four games of forgettable sludge.

If, however, you are of the “half-empty” variety then you will no doubt bemoan the fact that Johnson, appointed as England manager almost two years ago despite zero coaching experience, waited until it was too late to change an obviously failing team.

The evidence appears to point towards a deep suspicion the former lock retains against the exciting brand of young backs involved in the Paris try.

Foden has been the stand-out fullback in the Premiership this season yet could not find a way into the team in November despite the injury absence of Delon Armitage.

He remained a regular replacement during the Six Nations, even though Armitage, by his own admission and that of his coaches was struggling.

Off the bench, Foden injected dynamism and purpose but Johnson stuck with Armitage until the final game, where Foden was finally given a starting role.

Ashton is the Premiership’s leading scorer to date, combines well with Foden at their club Northampton and was brought into the squad at the start of the Six Nations yet, even as Ugo Monye laboured, had wait until Saturday for his chance. After the back line had failed to threaten a try between them in four games, let alone score one, it took just five minutes for the new boys to make their mark.

A sharp pass from Flood to Riki Flutey got it moving, Ashton moved the ball on with the deftest of touches, Foden collected and flew over the line.

For the England fans who had been forced to sit through hour after hour of boring, slow and ineffective forward work through the spring, it was a moment to savour.

Had the 21-year-old Ashton had a few games under his belt, maybe he would have held on to the ball a little longer when through in the second half to set up the try that could have given England victory.

Johnson is never a man to get carried away in victory, let alone a “brave defeat”, and was quick to play down the revolutionary nature of his selections.

“It wasn’t a team transformed; we said all the way through that if we get our execution right it’s there and those chances on the outside have been there all tournament,” he said.

“I thought some guys really came of age today.” Having followed every match of the tournament with a similarly upbeat analysis Johnson’s words are of little import and England fans are sick of hearing about the “created chances that are just not being finished off”.

England had showed some early enterprise in their opening 30-17 win over Wales, where the recall of outside centre Mathew Tait proved a false attacking dawn.

They were flat in the 17-12 win in Italy, with fans and media alike flabbergasted by captain Steve Borthwick’s post-match view that his team had been fantastic.

LONDON, Monday , Reuters