Embattled Robinson hovers on the brink

ANDY ROBINSON faces a two-week trial by a jury of his Twickenham bosses and 82,000 England supporters as he fights to extend a troubled coaching reign beyond the end of the month.

Head coach Robinson has neither resigned nor been axed in the immediate aftermath of England’s darkest day, a shambolic 25-18 home defeat against Argentina.

But the clock is ticking louder than ever on a two-year stint punctuated by failure since he replaced World Cup-winning mastermind Clive Woodward.

The 42-year-old emerged intact from what Rugby Football Union elite rugby director Rob Andrew termed “an open and frank” debrief between the two former England team-mates, who were joined by RFU chief executive Francis Baron, Club England chairman John Spencer and RFU management board chairman Martyn Thomas.

Pressure on Robinson though, has almost reached suffocation level following 12 defeats from his 20 Tests in charge, including a current run of seven successive losses that equals their worst sequence since England began playing international rugby 135 years ago.

But Andrew has also targeted England’s lack of on-pitch leadership as a major reason for the present malaise, and fingers are likely to be pointed at key decision-makers ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled team announcement.

“We need to look at leadership and selection,” said Andrew.

“There were some directional issues at the weekend, and I am not just talking about the captain, but about all the other leaders on the pitch as well. These have to be resolved.

“Andy is determined to turn

England around to winning ways, and his and the squad’s focus is on beating South Africa this Saturday,” Andrew added.

If Corry loses the job as skipper, then it could open the door for World Cup-winning prop Phil Vickery, who has previously led England in successful fashion, while his Wasps colleague Lawrence Dallaglio would be another candidate.

But England need inspiration and a fresh outlook at their Bisham Abbey training base this week, and Robinson would hardly lose ground by shaking things up, given that he is already firmly behind the eight-ball.

The clear message to Robinson is he has two games against South Africa to sort things out, otherwise even this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship could prove beyond his reach, let alone next year’s World Cup defence in France.

Argentina forward Martin Schusterman will face an International Rugby Board disciplinary hearing tomorrow after being cited for a dangerous tackle on England’s Iain Balshaw. The 31-year-old was cited following his country’s victory over the world champions on Saturday.