Underestimate England at your peril

HOW the mighty have fallen. It is hard to believe that in the 15 months since Martin Johnson lifted the William Webb Ellis Cup in Sydney, England have lost seven of the 12 internationals they have played.

As a result, sections of the English media have reacted with the type of hysteria one normally associates with Sven Goran Eriksson’s soccer team.

Sunday’s defeat to France was even more difficult to take given that the visitors did not deserve the victory. England scored two tries, France never threatened the whitewash. Out-half Charlie Hodgson has been vilified as a result of his failure with the boot. Yet, there is no quick fix available. Given that Andy Robinson made five changes to the side beaten in Cardiff, he is unlikely to tinker too much with the side that will meet Ireland at Lansdowne Road. The possibility of Jonny Wilkinson reappearing for the match in Dublin has now been firmly ruled out. Either way, even if he lined out for Newcastle next weekend, he couldn’t be sharp enough to return to the test arena.