Saturday Spotlight: Johnson puts his reputation on the line

WHEN Martin Johnson was appointed as England’s manager in April 2008, he asked supporters to reserve judgement on his efforts until the end of his three-and-a-half year deal.

That comes in October, and as he prepares to embark on a year that will include a World Cup finals as well as a Six Nations Championship, Johnson remains a man with his reputation on the line.

There has been progress on a number of fronts since he replaced Brian Ashton, with England bringing through a crop of exciting young players who should form the basis of a competitive squad for many years to come.

But in terms of actual achievements, the honours page of Johnson’s managerial CV remains blank. Change that in the next two months, and the England boss will be perfectly positioned ahead of this autumn’s World Cup in New Zealand.

For all that a gradual development has undoubtedly occurred under Johnson’s watch, the lack of a Six Nations title in eight long years is an unedifying stain on the English game.

This year’s competition offers an ideal opportunity to change that, partly because the fixture list falls in England’s favour, with three of their five matches taking place at Twickenham, and partly because there is not an outstanding opponent to rob them of favouritism.

All of the northern hemisphere sides have questions to answer this spring; none appear as well placed to pass their examination as England.

Much of the optimism stems from last November’s 35-18 defeat of Australia, a glorious romp of a game that saw England’s youthful runners launching a series of devastating attacks that punched repeated holes through the Wallabies defence.

A subsequent defeat to South Africa tempered the mood somewhat, but after years of monochrome, unexciting rugby, this is an England squad capable of producing sustained spells of colour.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs is the key to that, and in partnership with former Newcastle Falcons fly-half Toby Flood, the 21-year-old has reinvigorated the England backline.

The pair are the fulcrum of the England attack, and for all that he has impressed with Toulon this season, it is surely only a positive development that Jonny Wilkinson is unlikely to receive a recall.

Both Youngs and Flood have benefited from the emergence of Chris Ashton, a finisher with genuine panache, and with a reborn Mark Cueto on the opposite flank, England’s backs will score plenty of tries provided they secure enough ball over the next five matches.

That might not be as simple as it appeared a month or so ago, with injuries having disrupted the development of England’s forwards.

The absence of Courtney Lawes and Tom Croft is a double whammy, as it not only robs the England pack of much of the pace that tore Australia to shreds in the autumn, but also deprives the side of two of its leading lineout exponents.

Louis Deacon, the likeliest replacement for Lawes, would strengthen a scrum that creaked under South African pressure, but would blunt the dynamism of the English second row. James Haskell could come in for Croft, but would effectiveness at the breakdown be adversely affected as a result?

In many ways, those questions highlight the balancing act Johnson must perform in the next two months. Adventurous enough to maintain the momentum that was generated in the autumn; pragmatic enough to accept that England are not yet sufficiently proficient at the basics to regard them as a given.

Friday’s opener in Cardiff will immediately reinforce the latter point, with the Welsh pack sure to be licking their lips at the prospect of 15 wideeyed Englishmen heading into a Millennium Stadium maelstrom.

If England can survive an early Welsh onslaught and emerge with an opening-night win, the Six Nations will be theirs to lose. If, however, they fall at the first hurdle, the knives will be out before the tournament has really begun.

In the latter scenario, the search for a likely winner will turn elsewhere on the tournament’s opening Saturday afternoon.

Having secured a Grand Slam last year, France should really be kicking off this season as the team to beat.

By the end of March, we might well be questioning why there were so many doubts about the reigning champions. At the moment, though, the everunpredictable French do not have the look of runaway winners.

Heavy autumn defeats to South Africa, Argentina and Australia exposed divides that are never far from the surface across the Channel, with rumours of a breakdown between coach Marc Lievremont and skipper Thierry Dusautoir refusing to go away.

There is no questioning the talent of a side that includes the likes of Dusautoir, Morgan Parra, Clement Poitrenaud and Yannick Jauzion, but as countless French sides of the past have learned to their cost, talent is not always enough.

Temperament, a perennial French Achilles heel, is as significant in the Six Nations bear pit, and there have been enough worrying signs over the last 12 months to set the alarm bells ringing ahead of testing trips to Dublin and London in particular.

That said, though, it is only 18 months since France beat the All Blacks in Dunedin. As ever, it will be best to expect the unexpected where they are concerned.

It is hard to know exactly what to expect from any of the Celtic sides, who could conceivably finish the Six Nations as winners or fifthplace strugglers.

Ireland look to have steadied the ship, with Leinster’s impressive displays in the Heineken Cup having sparked a renewed bout of optimism across the Irish Sea.

Brian O’Driscoll, still the stand out three-quarter in European rugby, remains as inspirational as ever, while Jamie Heaslip continues to dominate the most effective back row unit in the championship.

The front of the scrum is a concern though – Argentina’s forwards caused all sorts of bother during a turgid autumn international at the new-look Aviva Stadium – and injuries to full-backs Rob Kearney and Geordan Murphy could force a major reshuffle.

Coach Declan Kidney is wrestling with the transition from a golden generation to a younger new-look side, and in many ways, Ireland’s transitional phase has coincided with the worst possible point of international rugby’s four-year cycle.

Scotland, on the other hand, appear to be peaking at the right moment. Andy Robinson’s side have won five of their last six matches, and celebrated victories over Australia and South Africa in the last two years.

They play to their strengths, relying on strong set-pieces, a ball-carrying back row and the reliable boot of fly-half Dan Parks.

In the Six Nations, simplicity is often effective, particularly if the weather plays a part. And let’s be honest, at Murrayfield, it usually does.

Try scoring remains something of an elusive ambition – Scotland have only crossed the line twice in their last five matches – and a paucity of attacking ambition could prove costly in a southern hemisphere World Cup. In the next two months, though, home games against Wales, Ireland and Italy should guarantee Scotland a healthy finish.

Wales boss Warren Gatland would probably accept a topthree spot now, such is the level of pressure that has built during a seven-game winless run.

On paper, Gatland’s first XV looks as effective as any in the tournament. Beyond that, though, the well is all but dry, and a lack of depth represents a huge obstacle to the development of the Welsh game.

With that in mind, Wales could ill afford the loss of Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins, both of their firstchoice props, ahead of Friday’s opener against England.

The scrum has traditionally been one of Wales’ strengths, but it currently looks vulnerable and while the return of Shane Williams is a fillip, the next two months could end with Gatland fighting for his job.

Ironically, the most secure coach in European rugby is probably the one with the lowest ambitions. Italy have picked up the wooden spoon in eight of the last 11 Six Nations, so a win of any sort will be a feather in Nick Mallett’s hat.

Will it arrive? Possibly. A win over Fiji and solid displays against Argentina and Australia provided tangible proof of progress in the autumn, and Italy will no doubt be targeting next weekend’s home game with Ireland as an ideal opportunity to spring a shock.

The return of Sergio Parisse, who missed the whole of last year’s campaign, is a huge boost, as is the availability of Leicester’s Martin Castrogiovanni, arguably the most effective prop in Europe.

Italy will give everyone a game up front, but their backline options remain limited and they still look the likeliest recipients of the wooden spoon.

SIX NATIONS FIXTURES

Friday, February 4 Wales v England (7.45) Saturday, February 5 Italy v Ireland (2.30) France v Scotland (5.00)

Saturday, February 12 England v Italy (2.30) Scotland v Wales (5.00)

Sunday, February 13 Ireland v France (3.00)

Saturday, February 26 Italy v Wales (2.30) England v France (5.00) Sunday, February 27

Scotland v Ireland (3.00)

Saturday, March 12 Italy v France (2.30) Wales v Ireland (5.00)

Sunday, March 13 England v Scotland (3.00)

Saturday, March 19 Scotland v Italy (2.30) Ireland v England (5.00) France v Wales