Martin Johnson is not an easy man with whom to pick a fight. But it's coming. The postscript written in the Twickenham bars does not make pretty reading. There is a restlessness in the stands against which the Johnson aura offers no protection. The fans cannot take any more of this.
No pace, no invention, no hint of a score beyond the contribution of Jonny's left foot. One shudders at the thought of what might have happened had Wilkinson not been present. Defensively he was immense. In attack he was a rare source of optimism. It bodes ill for English rugby that we missed him so badly and, six years after the World Cup win in Sydney, that we need him so desperately.
Either English Rugby Team are not producing players of the right calibre or Johnson and his coaching staff are failing to get a performance from them.
English Rugby Team have been hampered by injuries, no doubt. But that does not explain the lack of options in attack. Bad players can run at good angles, too. They might not execute as well as their superiors, but they can have a go. Johnson talks a lot about the step up in intensity in the Test arena, about the need for players to respond. Genia had not worn a Wallabies shirt before 2009. There was no step up for him.
Wilkinson kicked and tackled himself raw, as we knew he would. It was not all 2003 vintage. A couple of kicks went astray, a reverse pass shot into touch. But he was there, a world-class presence thinking on his feet. It is for Johnson to invest in others the confidence to think on theirs.
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