Believe it or not we actually practice putting the ball down properly. It is a bugbear of mine, |
Brian Ashton is a very creative force. The Bath fans are in for a treat over the coming months. |
For a sporting great like to him to say that he was prepared to fight for his place, and if he didn't get it, then he'd fight even harder, tells you a lot about the man. |
He has got plenty of talent and he backs it up with his consistency. |
I am left with an empty feeling. |
I need to keep honing my skills as a coach otherwise I'll go off the boil. |
I think his progression over the past three years has been meteoric, |
I thought that Rob Hoadley was outstanding in the centres and James Brooks got a bit of time in both half-back positions. Also, I thought David van Eyk and Peter Bracken had a good impact when they came off the bench into the front row. |
I would be pretty happy to have him playing number 15 in my (England) team, |
Mark has played in three grand finals and in the Heineken Cup final and these games prepare people for Test rugby, |
So he has been behind the eight-ball with regards to his running fitness. |
Tactics, discipline, astuteness, mental toughness, accuracy. And bottle - having the balls to play. |
The sign of a great player is that players around him become better. Lawrence has that and it's a rare commodity. Players who fall into that category would include Ellery Hanley, Martin Johnson and, I guess, Dean Richards, although I didn't see much of him as a player. Others may be more physically talented than them but they can't match their competitive edge. It means so much to them they go through pain to get there. |
We defended well but with regards to the finishing, it was absolutely terrible. We will be working on it in the week. |
Well, take the word friendly out of it because it is England versus Wales, |