England v New Zealand: Back-room team takes flak over faltering England

International / Ralph Ellis / 18 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

"One member of Johnson’s set-up is prepared to stand up and try to take all the flak himself, and lift the pressure away from the manager and his players. Attack coach Brian Smith has come out in today’s papers with the simple message: “Blame me”."

England go into Saturday's clash with New Zealand as huge underdogs after poor performances against Australia and Argentina - but could the support coaches be to blame? That's the line coming out of the England camp. Ralph Ellis reports

There are two words continually used when talking about sport: "Confidence", and "pressure". When you've got the first running through your team then the second doesn't bother you. When it's the other way round you've got problems.

If Fabio Capello's second string England players came under fire for their weekend performance against Brazil, it was nothing compared to what the rugby boys have faced. It's one thing taking a weakened side half way round the planet and losing 1-0 against the world's most famous football nation. It's another matter entirely when you've stuttered and stumbled in your own back yard to put away one of the weaker nations, as Martin Johnson's England did against Argentina at Twickenham.

The search for scapegoats began as soon as the final whistle blew. Was it the players, was it Jonno himself? And to get back to that word "pressure" again, there is the shadow of this Saturday's looming encounter with the All Blacks descending on the team like a big black cloud.

So it's fascinating to see that at least one member of Johnson's set-up is prepared to stand up and try to take all the flak himself, and lift the pressure away from the manager and his players. Attack coach Brian Smith has come out in today's papers with the simple message: "Blame me".

Former London Irish rugby director Smith, the man whose job it is to inject flair and a carefree flowing spirit into the backs, says he changed the instructions before kick off at Twickenham because he was worried about the weather.

"We set out for the ground determined to take the game to Argentina from the start," he reveals, "but then when we got off the bus it was bucketing down with rain so I got the guys together and issued the instruction to play safety first in the opening quarter of the game. In hindsight I wish I'd kept my trap shut."

It's a brave stance to take but it underlines that while the rugby public might be wondering how well suited Johnson is to his job, given his lack of coaching experience before he took charge, he's got the backing of his team both on and off the field. It will inspire the players to know they've got a coach who is willing to shield them from responsibility for things going wrong. And it might just be a key to England getting away from the pressure and producing some sort of performance.

England are a massive [9.2] to beat the All Blacks on Saturday, which on last week's form seems justified but in fact is remarkably generous, especially given the context that the All Blacks themselves have yet to really open up on this tour, winning by only seven points in Cardiff and 14 against Italy in Milan. There's definitely value in laying New Zealand over 12.5 points at [1.88], and the handicap markets might offer more opportunities nearer the weekend.

Even with their injuries, England have got players capable of rising above the pressure and playing with confidence. Smith's brave stance might just have given them the platform to do it.

Five things you might not know about Brian Smith

5. Before accepting his current job with England he turned down an offer to join his brother's successful TV production and advertising company in Sydney