For England, It's Been A Dizzying Fall

[TizMe]

From the Brisbane Sunday Mail..

STEVE WADDINGHAM

27jun04

SOMEWHERE in London, Tim Henman just got very nervous.

Now he really has a country riding on his back.

Hen-mania at Wimbledon is all England has left, after its footballing pride was battered over a horror week in two hemispheres.

Two days after Beckham's boys were bundled out of Portugal, last night's slaughter at Suncorp officially brought down the curtain on England's claims to pre-eminence in the rugby world. Sure, they still have the Webb Ellis Cup and they can call themselves World Champions.

But after the loss of their six Nations crown, a 2-0 Blackout in New Zealand, and now payback time for the Wallabies, the aura which surrounded Martin Johnson's 2003 England has faded like mist.

It may not have quite been the horror days of 76-0 on this same ground six years ago, but there is no denying that England will find it difficult to bounce back.

It was a courageous first half effort by an England side battered into exhaustion through the stupidity of their own authorities in allowing their "season" to drag on for more than 13 non-stop months. No wonder when the collective Wallaby foot went down, England tossed in the towel.

Who could have imagined only months ago, after the rampaging performances of England's World Cup pack, that the Wallabies would have the impertinence to turn down penalty shots in front of the posts in favour of attacking scrums?

And there also was no mistaking the emphatic message directed to London when the Australians finally opted for a shot in the 78th minute which pushed the scoreboard past 50. No side now is going to fear an England which carries recent losses to Ireland, France, NZ and Australia.

As much as Clive Woodward played down the importance of this antipodean tour, he must know these results have struck like a knife through England's reputation.

Three games played, two tries scored, 14 conceded, and a total losing margin of 123 points equals defensive integrity destroyed.

One who had no doubts about the importance of last night's clash was England captain Lawrence Dallaglio, the man charged with the almost impossible task of taking over from the towering, glowering and inspirational Johnson.

England took the field inspired by an extraordinary public display of passion from the 72-Test veteran.

Dallaglio gathered his troops, arms linked around shoulders in a circle under the southern goal posts, and his face turned red as an English rose as he laid down the law in a shouting, finger-pointing challenge as fierce as a solo All Blacks haka.

At almost the same moment, a disconsolate Wendell Sailor was limping away from the Wallaby warm-up drills, a strained hamstring ending his night before it started.

What it has done to his Wallaby career, the next few weeks will tell. The cheers as speedster Clyde Rathbone sprinted away for three tries in the unfamiliar No. 21 jersey – switched to 14 at the break – must have sounded like a bell tolling for "Dell".

The future has arrived on the Australian wing, via Johannesburg and the South African under-21 side.

Rathbone's rise has been almost at meteoric as England's fall.

He arrived in Canberra bearing huge wraps, lived up to them throughout the Super 12, and last night proved he can dominate on the world stage.

There has been much talk in England about the uselessness of Super 12 in preparing players for the international arena. It's an argument that has merit in some areas, but hopefully those who can only find fault with the Super 12 system were watching last night.

Rathbone, Lote Tuqiri and Radike Samo didn't learn those skills off a whiteboard.

So England has fallen. It may well rise again.

On last night's evidence, the silverware may still be in a vault in London, but the moral authority has shifted a long way south.