‘That decision’ casts a long shadow

LONDON: England’s Rugby World Cup defeat by Wales, and the decision not to attempt the late shot at goal that could have prevented it, remained the topic of choice in workplaces around Britain on Monday, two days after the memorable Twickenham clash.

While Wales were basking in the glory of their remarkable 28-25 comeback win and trying to recover in time for Thursday’s match against Fiji, England were doing their best to switch the focus to their next challenge – the all or nothing Pool A meeting with Australia on Saturday.

But there was no escaping the events of last Saturday, when England blew a 10-point second-half lead with a series of bad decisions, culminating in that by captain Chris Robshaw not to ask Owen Farrell to take on the difficult 78thminute kick that would have levelled the scores.

Robshaw opted for a lineout and England then inexplicably threw to the front, allowing the Welsh to surge forward and shove their attempted driving maul into touch.

The Times on Monday described it as a “moment of madness” while former England flyhalf turned pundit Stuart Barnes said the decision was the “worst piece of captaincy I can remember in my playing or media days.”

Former England captain Will Carling, the only man to lead the country more times than Robshaw, lumped much of the blame on Lancaster and the “classroom-orientated environment” he has created. “I got the sense that England were panicking,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday. “I don’t blame Chris as much as I blame others. I blame the environment.”

The England camp were endeavouring to “move on”, Today Tonga v Namibia, Sandy Park, 5.45pm, Thursday Wales v Fiji, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 5.45pm, France v Canada, 9pm, Milton Keynes Friday New Zealand v Georgia, 9pm, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff knowing that a win over Australia would probably still be enough to send them into the quarter-finals.

There was good news too on Monday when flanker Tom Wood escaped a possible ban for accidentally kicking Wales’s Liam Williams in the head. However, Lancaster faces an anxious wait on several other players before naming his team on Thursday.

Both specialist number eights Ben Morgan and Billy Vunipola have knee injuries, as does lock Courtney Lawes, who went off at halftime against Wales. Scrumhalf Ben Youngs, who had an excellent game at Twickenham before also being forced off, is struggling to overcome an ankle problem, while Jonathan Joseph is considered unlikely to have recovered from the torn chest muscle that ruled him out of the Wales game.

Lancaster said: “Courtney has a knee injury, Billy Vunipola has a knee injury and Ben Youngs has an ankle injury – they are the three from yesterday (Sunday). I would say all three are 50-50 at this stage. Ben Youngs is maybe slightly better than that – let’s call it 60:40 – but it’s very early. “We’re optimistic on Ben but I think with JJ (Joseph) we are going to have to wait and see how he trains or if he can train today, which may affect when we will announce the team.”

Lancaster will also need to decide whether to retain Owen Farrell and Sam Burgess, drafted in to deal with the heavyweight Welsh midfield, or recall George Ford at flyhalf and hand a second start to slippery centre Henry Slade as England seek to create more attacking threat. “There’s a huge sense of frustration around the camp that we let it slip away,” Lancaster said. “But it’s still all to play for.” – Reuters, Daily Mail