2GS The Sunday Times April 10, 2022 232016 Haskell was magnificent against the Australia midfield
Surely Leicester
Tigers should be
adjudged winners of
the Gallagher
Premiership? They
(will have) scored
more league points
than any other
side. The “play-offs”
are a cynical money-
grabbing exercise.
The season should
not be extended into
June when the players
should be on a break.
Michael Perkins,
SolihullFrance rugby success
over the past couple
of years is on a
different track than
England’s and must
owe something to
their organisation.
Their president is
Bernard Laporte, who
has a distinguished
record. He’s also a
vice-chairman of
World Rugby. Their
head coach, Fabien
Galthié, has 64 caps
for France and is
often described as
the greatest scrum
half in French rugby
history. Galthié is
supported by a team
of six French formerinternationals, one
English (Shaun
Edwards, who should
be the England head
coach) and one
South African.
England’s coaching
organisation does not
compare all that
favourably. Eddie
Jones does not have
the same on-field
credentials as Galthié,
who appears to have
overtaken him as an
international coach.
England rugby
needs to take a close
look at what is
happening across La
Manche with a view to
learning some
salutary lessons.
Michael Norris,
HumberstoneIt was so
disappointing to hear
Roy Hodgson suggest
that the use of VAR to
award Liverpool a
penalty was
questionable since
Liverpool players had
not appealed. Surely
VAR was always
meant to be used
in these
circumstances.
Ken MorrisI was delighted to
read the common-
sense views of Karen
Pickering advocating
a protected female
category for many
sports. It is a sad
reflection on the
present debate that
such a small
percentage of trans
competitors seem to
be able to wield such
undue influence.
Chris Hodgkinson
(Male)LETTERS
TO THE
EDITOR
Send your letters to:
The Sports Editor,
The Sunday Times,
1 London Bridge St
London, SE1 9GF
email: sportletters
@sunday-times.co.ukEngland’s footballers,” said Gary
Lineker. The great Australian Michael
Lynagh said: “At the moment, Eddie
could probably ride a winner at
Ascot.”
And Sir Clive Woodward, now as
taken aback as any by the morass in
which Jones is operating, declared the
Jones model “great for English sport”.
Englishmen roamed round Australia
puffing their chests out.
The comparisons are staggering.
The 2016 Jones never bothered to
harp on about bringing out the tyros,
the unknown. He just picked the best
team. For me the key man down there
in the absence of a proper open-side
flanker was James Haskell. The
ebullient Haskell has so often been
maligned but in that series on the
open side he was quite magnificent.
He obliterated the Australia midfield
on his own and no one got anxious by
wondering if he could still be around
at the time of the next World Cup.
In fact, no one ever mentioned the
next World Cup, as far as I can see
from my notes. Jones just picked his
biggest, best and most brutal.
England’s hard-driving and teak-
tough forwards ruthlessly exposed
Australia’s Super Rugby softies.
And more comparisons with the
present era? Every player was in his
proper position. Mike Brown, a full
back, was played at full back and
played superbly. No one else was
rudely torn from their jersey and
stuffed uncomfortably into another.
Farrell was allowed to run the show, to
be himself and to be consistent. He
played quite magnificently.
Jones appeared on that tour to be
concise and clever, rather than trying
to put across what he wanted in
endless (and confusing) repetition, as
he now does. He removed Teimana
Harrison and Luther Burrell during
the first half of Test matches, and if
you could say that his original selec-
tion must have been faulty then you
had to admire a man who could spot
tactical changes that were needed in
the tumult.
And Jones had not yet begun to
believe that the only way to improve
was to be together for longer and
longer. “England are training with
smarter sessions,” one observerwrote. “Jones has condensed sessions
into clarity and into the perfection of
essentials.”
For heaven’s sake, he even had a
caring side then. This is the man who
has the England squad in camp for
one day in every four in a calendar
year, and still comes out to say that
they are not together enough.
Ludicrous in the extreme, but con-
sider the Jones reaction under the
stands in the aftermath of the 44-40
blast that sealed the 3-0 whitewash.
“The boys should not be down here,
they should all be off on a beach
somewhere,” he said.
And what of the old tripe about
results not really mattering? What
about the pervasive Jones insistence
that the World Cup is the only true
indicator? After the second Test
victory when England had defended
so well and taken the series, Jones was
asked if he would rest a few players
now that the series was won, to give
some of the other tourists a go in the
third Test in Sydney.
As I recorded at the time, he was
very grumpy indeed about that
suggestion. “Ask yourself what the All
Blacks would have done,” he
protested. “They would have gone flat
out to win 3-0.” And they would, and
so did Eddie’s England.
Jones had some great ideas then
but he is no longer as precise, concise
and assertive — and no longer
remotely as successful. Nor does he
even seem to be enjoying it.
And the England under-20s? You
would expect them to be storming all
around the England rugby scene
nowadays. They are not. An incredi-
ble number of that World Champion
team from 2016 have never remotely
nailed down their place in the profes-
sional game. Perhaps the under-20
concept is flawed, as I have always sus-
pected. The emerging generation has
become the lost generation, generat-
ing very little.
And England 2016 v England 2022?
Passion, pace, power, conviction,
devil. England 2022? Confusion, cal-
lowness, disunity, dunce. A Tale of
Two Tours, and perhaps lessons to
digest as Jones, for reasons unspeci-
fied, is away trying to make giants out
of Sungoliath.country. The sense of loss becomes
stark. Jones was newish, and on his
first England trip. England simply
thundered through Australia.
That series whitewash was heady,
heady and heady. He sent his men
charging at the Wallabies in three
great matches, which England won
39-28 with wonderful attack, 23-7 with
incredible defence, and 40-44 with an
incredible endurance considering the
savagery of the season that was end-
ing that day. Epic, joyous, consuming.
A few side notes to those days of
wonder: England at virtually the same
time were winning the Under-20
World Cup, putting away South Africa
and Ireland by thumping margins to
secure, so we thought, the future in,
say, 2022. The England Saxons, the
second team, also finished that sea-
son unbeaten. Looking forward from
then, you could see only a dominant
England.
On that tour, Jones said: “We are
going to be the best side in the world.”
He says it all the time now, with
England comparatively so dimin-
ished. He would say it after a home
draw against the Falkland Islands, but
in 2016, he said it as if he meant it —
and he did, and we agreed.
An adulatory forest fire began.
“Someone had better get to Eddie
Jones sharpish and get him to coach
2 July v Australia,
Optus Stadium,
Perth 10.55am BST
9 July v Australia,
Suncorp Stadium,
Brisbane 10.55am
16 July v Australia,
Sydney Cricket
Ground 10.55amENGLAND V
AUSTRALIA
FIXTURES96%
England’s win rate
under Jones in his first
two years (2016-17)60%
England’s win rate
under Jones in the
past two years
(2021-22)Thirsk
Going: soft (good to soft in places)
12.55 (5f) 1 Fix You (Rossa Ryan, 3-1 fav); 2 King’s
Crown (9-1); 3 Honour Your Dreams (15-2). 9 ran. 4¼l,
¾l. Alice Haynes. Tote: £4.00; £1.60, £2.80, £2.60.
Exacta: £31.20. CSF: £31.07. Trifecta: £178.70
1.30 (6f) 1 Prospect (G Lee, 28-1); 2 Shallow Hal (4-1);
3 The Armed Man (10-1). 15 ran. 1½l, 2l. P T Midgley.
Tote: £37.80; £9.20, £2.00, £3.90. Exacta: £231.90.
CSF: £132.69. Tricast: £1,251.55. Trifecta: £3,260.00
2.05 (6f) 1 Run This Way (G Lee, 11-1); 2 After John (28-
1); 3 Yukon Mission (15-2). 14 ran. 1l, nk. P T Midgley.
Tote: £12.00; £3.20, £7.00, £3.00. Exacta: £319.80.
CSF: £300.67. Tricast: £2,525.66. Trifecta: £3,424.60
2.40 (7f) 1 Mutasaabeq (Jim Crowley, 6-4 fav);
2 Symbolize (5-2); 3 Rhoscolyn (6-1). 5 ran. 1¼l, 2½l.
C Hills. Tote: £2.50; £1.30, £1.60. Exacta: £5.30.
CSF: £5.53. Trifecta: £18.00
3.15 (5f) 1 Edward Cornelius (Callum Rodriguez, 7-1); 2
Catch Cunningham (4-1); 3 Selby’s Pride (16-1). 9 ran.
NR: King Of Speed, Little Earl. Sh hd, 1½l. K Dalgleish.
Tote: £8.00; £2.60, £1.70, £3.30. Exacta: £37.40.
CSF: £34.86. Tricast: £435.97. Trifecta: £338.60
3.50 (1m 4f 8yd) 1 Get Shirty (D Tudhope, 10-1);
2 Contact (2-1 fav); 3 Forza Orta (5-1). 11 ran. ¾l, nk.
D O’Meara. Tote: £11.10; £2.40, £1.40, £1.70. Exacta:
£44.30. CSF: £31.11. Tricast: £119.14.
4.30 (7f 218yd) 1 Yellow Bear (H Shaw, 14-1); 2
Broadspear (8-13 fav); 3 Cubana Habana (8-1). 13 ran. NR:
Manaslu, Reel Prospect. ½l, nk. D Carroll. Tote: £12.50;
£2.20, £1.02, £2.10. Exacta: £18.90. CSF: £16.74. No 6
Manaslu (4-1) was withdrawn not under orders. Rule 4
applies to all bets. Deduct 20p in the £. Trifecta: £96.90
5.00 (6f) 1 Toptime (Lewis Edmunds, 12-1);
2 Unashamed (9-1); 3 Langholm (17-2); 4 Blazing Son
(5-1 jt-fav). 17 ran. NR: Bakr, Coolagh Magic, Hot
Scoop. 1l, 1½l. S R Bowring. Tote: £13.50; £2.90,
£3.00, £2.50, £1.70. Exacta: £209.50. CSF: £117.60.
Tricast: £1,026.59. No 9 Hot Scoop (18-1) was
withdrawn not under orders. Rule 4 does not apply.
Trifecta: £1,944.90
Placepot: £612.30 Quadpot: £38.10Wolverhampton
Going: standard
4.57 (1m 4f 51yd) 1 Pons Aelius (F Norton, 5-6 fav);
2 Love Mystery (4-1); 3 Geelong (9-2). 5 ran. 4l, ¾l.
M Johnston. Tote: £1.84; £1.10, £1.90. Exacta: £3.80.
CSF: £4.39. Trifecta: £9.80
5.30 (6f 20yd) 1 Intervention (Harry Davies, 9-1);
2 Alablaq (11-2); 3 Lilkian (100-30). 9 ran. Sh hd, ½l.
M Appleby. Tote: £10.00; £2.20, £2.20, £1.50. Exacta:
£52.80. CSF: £57.42. Tricast: £202.18. Trifecta:
£238.70
6.00 (7f 36yd) 1 Another Romance (R Coakley, 10-11
fav); 2 Lucia Joy (11-8); 3 Pensa Te (33-1). 12 ran. 8½l,
7½l. S E Crisford. Tote: £1.91; £1.10, £1.10, £5.50.
Exacta: £3.30. CSF: £2.29. Trifecta: £28.20
6.30 (2m 120yd) 1 Halimi (Harry Burns, 4-1); 2 Red
Verdon (11-2); 3 Restorer (13-2). 6 ran. Nk, 1l. S E
Crisford. Tote: £5.00; £2.10, £2.70. Exacta: £25.20.
CSF: £24.67. Trifecta: £60.90
7.00 (1m 1f 104yd) 1 Pilot Wings (Jason Watson,
5-2 fav); 2 Quoteline Direct (7-1); 3 Amalfi Salsa (3-1).
10 ran. NR: Mr Gambino. ¾l, 1½l. A W Carroll. Tote:
£3.50; £1.40, £1.90, £1.50. Exacta: £20.90. CSF:
£21.02. Tricast: £54.99. Trifecta: £72.40
7.30 (1m 142yd) 1 Odd Socks Havana (D C Costello,
2-1 fav); 2 City Wanderer (20-1); 3 Four Feet (9-1).
12 ran. NR: Mighty Fine. 1¾l, 1½l. R Menzies. Tote:
£3.00; £1.20, £5.70, £3.20. Exacta: £41.30. CSF:
£52.00. Tricast: £314.01.
8.00 (1m 4f 51yd) 1 Study The Stars (Mr S Walker, 10-11
fav); 2 Garrison Commander (16-1); 3 Jenny Ren (5-1).
10 ran. 2½l, 1l. George Baker. Tote: £1.91; £1.10, £3.70,
£1.40. Exacta: £16.30. CSF: £18.53. Tricast: £55.04.
Trifecta: £70.20
8.30 (1m 4f 51yd) 1 The Resdev Way (Miss Becky
Smith, 2-1 fav); 2 Percy Prosecco (9-2); 3 Alioski (25-1).
8 ran. NR: Settle Petal. 1¼l, 3l. Micky Hammond. Tote:
£3.00; £1.20, £1.60, £5.70. Exacta: £11.80. CSF:
£10.85. Tricast: £163.45. Trifecta: £133.60
Placepot: £21.50 Quadpot: £8.50RACING RESULTS
Aintree
Going: good to soft (good in places)
1.45 (3m 149yd hdle) 1 Party Business (C J Todd, 11-2);
2 Ilikedwayurthinkin (16-1); 3 Mill Green (18-1);
4 Beauport (10-1). 21 ran. NR: Third Wind. ¾l, 12l. Ian
Williams. Tote: £6.50; £2.10, £3.10, £4.20, £2.70.
Exacta: £119.60. CSF: £87.78. Tricast: £1,543.42.
Trifecta: £1,490.00
2.25 (2m 4f hdle) 1 Three Stripe Life (D N Russell, 5-2
fav); 2 Might I (16-1); 3 North Lodge (11-2). 12 ran.
NR: Harbour Lake. 4¾l, 3¾l. G Elliott. Tote: £3.50;
£1.50, £4.20, £2.10. Exacta: £37.00. CSF: £46.47.
Tricast: £209.54. Trifecta: £203.40
3.00 (1m 7f 176yd ch) 1 Gentleman De Mee (M P Walsh,
7-2); 2 Edwardstone (4-7 fav); 3 Third Time Lucki (9-2).
6 ran. NR: Fugitif. 4½l, 11l. W P Mullins. Tote: £4.50;
£1.60, £1.20. Exacta: £6.10. CSF: £6.31. Trifecta:
£12.50
3.35 (3m 149yd hdle) 1 Sire Du Berlais (M P Walsh,
16-1); 2 Flooring Porter (11-8 fav); 3 Champ (3-1). 8 ran.
NR: Ashdale Bob. 1¾l, 20l. G Elliott. Tote: £17.00;
£2.50, £1.10, £1.40. Exacta: £44.00. CSF: £38.82.
Tricast: £87.79. Trifecta: £151.80
4.15 (3m 210yd ch) 1 Sam Brown (Aidan Coleman,
28-1); 2 Shan Blue (5-2 fav); 3 Killer Kane (6-1). 14 ran.
NR: Commodore, Empire Steel, Mint Condition, Scene
Not Herd. 15l, 10l. A J Honeyball. Tote: £29.50; £6.30,
£1.80, £2.10. Exacta: £140.50. CSF: £96.50. Tricast:
£501.35. Trifecta: £1,330.70
5.15 (4m 2f 74yd ch) 1 Noble Yeats (Mr S Waley-Cohen,
50-1); 2 Any Second Now (15-2 fav); 3 Delta Work
(10-1); 4 Santini (33-1). 40 ran. 2¼l, 20l. E Mullins.
Tote: £51.00; £11.80, £3.30, £3.00, £9.70. Exacta:
£783.80. CSF: £358.49. Tricast: £4,148.87
6.20 (2m 209yd Flat) 1 Lookaway (Jack Quinlan, 28-1);
2 Hullnback (16-1); 3 Leave Of Absence (8-1). 18 ran.
NR: Crambo, Rockinastorm. 2l, 1¼l. N B King. Tote:
£29.00; £6.20, £5.50, £2.80. Exacta: £711.40. CSF:
£422.56. Tricast: £3,918.32. Trifecta: £7,903.20
Placepot: £96.40 Quadpot: £10.10
Jackpot: Not won. Pool of £10,683.00 carried forward
to Wincanton today
Bangor
Going: good (good to soft in places)
1.55 (2m 3f 123yd hdle) 1 Vintage Fizz (Charlie
Hammond, 4-1); 2 Not Sure (14-1); 3 Taragrace (6-1).
14 ran. ¾l, 3¼l. Jedd O’Keeffe. Tote: £5.10; £2.10,
£4.30, £2.10. Exacta: £62.40. CSF: £58.92. Tricast:
£343.69. Trifecta: £354.80
2.33 (2m 1f 77yd ch) 1 Cenotice (Theo Gillard, 9-1);
2 Billingsley (12-1); 3 Twotwothree (8-1). 8 ran. 3½l, 7l.
D McCain Jnr. Tote: £10.40; £2.70, £3.20, £2.20.
Exacta: £111.00. CSF: £99.98. Tricast: £897.16.
Trifecta: £768.80
3.08 (3m 5yd ch) 1 Oceans Red (Mr Toby Wynne, 13-2);
2 On The Platform (11-4); 3 Family Pot (7-1). 9 ran.
NR: Mr Katanga. 2l, 9l. O Greenall. Tote: £7.50; £2.40,
£1.40, £2.20. Exacta: £28.90. CSF: £25.78. Tricast:
£130.26. Trifecta: £174.00
3.43 (2m 4f 72yd ch) 1 Bob’s Bar (Theo Gillard, 4-1);
2 Harry Du Berlais (11-4); 3 Dawn Raider (2-1 fav).
5 ran. ½l, 2l. D McCain Jnr. Tote: £5.30; £1.90, £2.10.
Exacta: £19.20. CSF: £15.73. Trifecta: £44.00
4.22 (2m 7f 7yd hdle) 1 Dedanser (B S Hughes, 16-5);
2 In Our Dreams (7-2); 3 Tigerbythetail (11-10 fav).
5 ran. 4¼l, 4¾l. D McCain Jnr. Tote: £4.20; £1.70,
£1.80. Exacta: £12.30. CSF: £14.17. Trifecta: £20.80
4.52 (2m 145yd Flat) 1 Bertie B (Mr Thomas M O’Brien,
18-1); 2 The Kniphand (5-1); 3 Trick Of The Tail (17-2).
13 ran. NR: Islebriand, Mister Barclay, Sworn To Be
Free. Nk, 3l. Clive Boultbee-Brooks. Tote: £20.50;
£5.10, £2.00, £3.00. Exacta: £159.00. CSF:
£104.27.
Placepot: £758.60 Quadpot: £77.70Newcastle
Going: good
12.30 (2m 7f 149yd hdle) 1 Ribeye (Jack Hogan,
100-30); 2 Post Chaise (2-1 fav); 3 Songbird’s Tale
(11-1). 11 ran. 4¾l, 4¾l. P Atkinson. Tote: £4.34; £1.50,
£1.10, £3.00. Exacta: £12.80. CSF: £10.43. Tricast:
£65.78. Trifecta: £84.30
1.00 (2m 4f 62yd hdle) 1 Git Maker (Mr Kevin Brogan,
2-5 fav); 2 Whelans Bridge (11-1); 3 Kidman (12-1).
7 ran. 1½l, 3½l. Jamie Snowden. Tote: £1.40; £1.10,
£3.70. Exacta: £5.40. CSF: £6.10. Trifecta: £19.60
1.37 (2m 4f 19yd ch) 1 Go On Chez (Craig Nichol, 11-2);
2 Edmond Dantes (4-1); 3 Loughermore (100-30).
8 ran. NR: Westdante. 1¼l, 2½l. O Greenall. Tote:
£6.50; £1.40, £1.80, £1.40. Exacta: £19.70. CSF:
£27.91. Tricast: £83.74. Trifecta: £69.80
2.15 (2m 7f 91yd ch) 1 Morozov Cocktail (Mr W
Easterby, 5-2 fav); 2 Devour (17-2); 3 Scottish Accent
(4-1). 6 ran. 2l, ¾l. T D Easterby. Tote: £3.50; £1.80,
£3.70. Exacta: £22.60. CSF: £22.23. Trifecta: £80.00
2.50 (2m 46yd hdle) 1 See The Sea (Peter Kavanagh,
7-2); 2 Brief Times (5-4 fav); 3 Byzantine Empire (11-8).
NR: Red Force One. 1½l, 4½l. D McCain Jnr. Tote:
£4.50. Exacta: £6.50. CSF: £8.00. Trifecta: £5.30
3.25 (2m 4f 19yd ch) 1 The King Of May (Nathan
Moscrop, 15-8); 2 Sirwilliamwallace (100-30). 3 ran.
NR: Dalyotin, Empire De Maulde. 1l, B Ellison. Tote:
£2.88. Exacta: £6.10. CSF: £6.89.
4.00 (2m 4f 62yd hdle) 1 Warriors Story (Bruce Lynn,
7-2); 2 Johnson’s Blue (3-1 fav); 3 Pateen (40-1).
13 ran. 7½l, 1¾l. N W Alexander. Tote: £4.50; £1.70,
£1.70, £7.30. Exacta: £16.50. CSF: £13.98. Tricast:
£369.31. Trifecta: £356.10
4.40 (2m 4f 62yd hdle) 1 Bestiarius (Tom Midgley,
4-1 fav); 2 Ugo Du Misselot (5-1); 3 Dan Gun (10-1).
12 ran. NR: Azof Des Mottes. 1½l, ½l. G Boanas. Tote:
£5.10; £2.20, £2.00, £3.30. Exacta: £30.30. CSF:
£24.03. Tricast: £189.19. Trifecta: £267.20
Placepot: £174.80 Quadpot: £79.50