'Andy Robinson must resign'
‘Jeers to you, Mister Robinson’
If England thought Saturday’s defeat to Argentina was the nadir, they hadn’t reckoned on Sunday’s papers. Look away now if your name is Andy Robinson…
“Creativity took the day off … All who came on and all who went off were consumed by the same collective failings of a side that has reached rock-bottom and knows that there is a lengthy bump along its depths before any upward relief can be offered.
“A team in trouble reaches a point when something has to give. There has to be someone after such an abject day on whom the axe must fall. No more cosmetic reshuffling … This is all about Andy Robinson and the end of his regime. He has been an unlucky coach and a quite dreadful selector.
“England are stuck fast. If they do not act now they will find that this is not the bottom of the trench after all. There is a way to go yet. Seven defeats on the bounce – it could run into double figures. All the way to the World Cup.
“Something must happen. Robinson has to go. There is no need to replace him. John Wells and Brian Ashton do forwards and backs, and Rob Andrew plays Sir Clive. Panic? There is every reason for England to panic.”
– Eddie Butler, The Observer
“This was simply unacceptable … It is difficult to know where to begin the catalogue of shame.
“There was no leadership, no pace on the game for the first hour, no sense in the selection of a back row where Pat Sanderson and Shaun Perry got in a terrible tangle for a second time in a row, no off-loading out of the tackle, too many penalties given away in England’s half, poor control of the ball in contact.
“In fact, there was not one area where England could be said to have performed tolerably well … Robinson is now damaged goods and there is no way he can remain at the helm of this operation. What other options are there?”
– Paul Ackford, The Sunday Telegraph
“This non-performance of quite breathtaking incompetence and even lack of heart and passion marked the end of the excuses, the end of the right to blame others, the end of the illusion that something was happening behind the closed doors of this England squad that would turn them into a rugby team.
“Furthermore, they were hammered yesterday by a team shunned by the rest of the rugby world, thrown together with hardly a significant training session, missing key players, but which played with more organisation than a team that spends half its life in camp.
“Where to start with England? … They paid the penalty for their silly dreams, for their deathwish in choosing boys to do the jobs of men. At this level, you are better choosing bread-and-butter toilers than young lads who have shown three flashes of good play in their whole careers.
“The first half was the worst I have ever seen from an England team. When poor Charlie Hodgson was replaced in the second half, he sat for ages with his head in his hands, condemned for not making houses, without bricks or straw.
“Argentina can be proud, massively so. Amateurism still grips their domestic rugby, but their travelling band of professionals have done wonders for the reputation of their country’s rugby wherever they have played. Here, it was marvellous to see that magnificent rugby statesman, Agustin Pichot, finally gain the kind of result he deserves.”
– Stephen Jones, The Sunday Times
“England did not learn from last week, allowing Argentina to disrupt us at the breakdown and prevent England from putting much needed pace on the game.
“I thought in the last 15 minutes Argentina looked tired and we should have turned the screw instead of putting pressure on ourselves through errors in execution and decision. What was worrying was how seldom we looked like scoring. If we create opportunities but little things go wrong, then at least you know one day it will all click.
“England must now stand tall as a group. Argentina had control in the 8-9-10 axis, decision-makers running the game, aided by a fantastic full-back in Juan-Martin Hernandez, invariably in the right place doing the right thing.
“While the focus will be on England’s shortcomings, this is a fine Argentina side … England lost to a very good team. What now? Shackles off against South Africa and go play. Get the enjoyment back, the buzz back and hopefully the winning habit back.”
– Mike Catt, The Sunday Telegraph
“Now is not soon enough for Andy Robinson to resign. Yesterday’s catastrophic performance against Argentina is the nadir of Robinson’s regime as the coach of England.
“Argentina’s lack of preparation time and resources sounds the death knell all the more plaintively for Robinson as a manager. For all the carpings about club versus country, England have infinitely more time, money and opportunity to prepare their international teams.
“This is not a kneejerk reaction to one day of humiliation. That would be a dishonour to Argentina. This is a reaction to a whole litany of errors that should have been ended much sooner.
“It may be the soldiers in the field of action who lost this particular sporting battle but under Robinson’s generalship the rugby war had long ago been lost … It is all too painful for England, it is equally painful for Robinson there is only one action left and that is to bite the bullet – Andy Robinson must resign.”
– Stuart Barnes, The Sunday Times
