Catt Announces Retirement
London Irish and former England player Mike Catt has announced that he will retire from rugby following Saturday’s Premiership match against Northampton.
Catt, 38, will go into coaching at London Irish following his evergreen career’s conclusion this weekend.
The England star – who made his debut in 1994 – became infamous after being trampled by Jonah Lomu at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
He had the last laugh, however, going on to be a part of Clive Woodward’s side that won the competition in 2003 and being at the heart of their unexpected run to the final in 2007.
Catt won 75 caps for his country and also represented the British & Irish Lions.
“I’ve been fortunate to have had an enjoyable and successful career as a player at club and international level,” Catt said.
“London Irish has given me the opportunity to make the transition from playing to coaching, and the time is right for me to focus full-time on that role.
“I hope to help the club maintain the progress it has made in recent seasons.
“I would like to thank all the players, coaches, sponsors, supporters and my family who have encouraged me throughout my playing career.”
With thanks to SA Rugby.com
Jonny “Too Cautious” Wilkinson?
So what is the problem with Jonny Wilkinson?
Johnson was unhappy that because Wilkinson had missed a couple of kicks in Rome the critics were on his back.
Well, on the matter of the two penalties and the conversion that went astray, they came almost as welcome relief, an imprecision on one front that might allow Wilkinson to prosper on another.
But England barely blossomed anywhere against Italy and the sight of Wilkinson dropping further and further back to a position somewhere to the north of full-back hardly bolstered the view that they were prepared to go out and win this game, rather than not lose it.
It is true that Wilkinson gave a pass in the move that led to the near-try for Delon Armitage in the opening seconds, and that he launched Riki Flutey from deep for the centre’s long, clean break, and that he was involved in the moves that released Ugo Monye in the first half and then, in the second, on the run that led to Mathew Tait’s try.
That England, in the movement for the try, made it to the gain-line, thereby making the space for Mark Cueto to come off his wing and make an impact, was thanks more to Simon Shaw than Wilkinson. The second-row was given the ball a long way from any point of contact, but he not only drove it up but also slipped the ball back to Wilkinson, who was obliged to go forward.
How Should Wilkinson Play?
Even before he fell prey to a string of injuries that would have made players of weaker will call it a day, there were doubts about his ability to orchestrate a performance. Even in his wonder year of 2003 he had to be hauled out of rucks, into which he hurled himself to escape the playmaker’s role.
It did not matter then, it was said, because there were players, inside and outside, who would tell him what to do: Matt Dawson at scrum-half, Will Greenwood or Mike Catt in the centre. The rather strange picture developed of the string-puller being little more than a puppet.
I am not so sure. I accept that there was a time during the World Cup run, his road to adoration, when he suffered a loss of confidence, and that until the semi-final against France he was a long way shy of the form he had shown in the grand-slam Six Nations and on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia. It was all part of the legend.
Conservative
But he has always had a clear strategic and tactical vision. It is just that his judgment is very conservative. He can see as much as anyone, all the positions and angles and possibilities, but he does not factor in more imponderable elements, such as the ability of his wings to beat their opposite numbers one on one.
Wilkinson’s risk assessment is a health and safety executive’s dream. He safeguards trust, reduces exposure to danger and loves the element of luck reduced to zero.
Which meant in Rome that he did not give Flutey any ball at all bar a single pass.
In that regard he fits perfectly into the thinking of Johnson. From the outset of his time in charge the manager has always said that he has nothing against adventure and freedom, but that the moment must be right. It is all about what they call “earning the right” to take the ball wide. It is all about terms and conditions.
As such, there is more chance of the British economy meeting the criteria to join the euro than of a team managed by Martin Johnson, coached by John Wells, captained by Steve Borthwick and controlled by Jonny Wilkinson declaring that just for the hell of it they are going to run the ball willy-nilly against Ireland.
Two wins out of two and a home game against a team just beaten in Paris are all the justification any of the above need to defend their approach and each other.
England in the last Six Nations grew into a free-scoring force and this season their injury list is shorter than many other teams’ and certainly a whole lot better than their own last November.
Courtesy of The Guardian
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think Wilkinson is too cautious?
Coach Defends Jonny Wilkinson
Coach defends Jonny Wilkinson despite his dismal performance against Italy.
England manager Martin Johnson has rounded on Jonny Wilkinson’s critics, accusing the fly-half’s detractors of having “their own agenda”.
Wilkinson’s position at stand-off came under scrutiny following England’s lacklustre 17-12 Six Nations victory away to perennial wooden spoon contenders Italy on Sunday.
Goalkicking, which even Wilkinson’s fiercest critics agree is the strongest part of his game, let the outside-half down with the No 10, who plays for French club Toulon, surprisingly missing three of his place kicks at the posts.
Former scrum-half Matt Dawson, who played alongside Wilkinson in the England team that won the 2003 World Cup, was scathing, saying, “What is missing in his repertoire is an ability to read the game, understand where England are playing and where they should be playing.”
Johnson, England’s 2003 World Cup winning captain, insisted no player was immune from being dropped but said the team as a whole had to take the blame for a deeply uninspiring display in Rome.
“I don’t agree with the criticism,” Johnson said.
“Jonny missed a few kicks and suddenly everyone is calling for his head, which I find pretty disappointing and surprising.
“No-one is undroppable, no-one ever has been. But is it Jonny’s fault we didn’t convert our line breaks? No, it’s a team thing.”
“It has become the vogue to have a pop at Jonny. It is not always right or fair and I think some people are using it for their own agenda but that is the world we live in.”
Jonny Wilkinson and Assistant Coach Jon Callard during the England training session.
The 30-year-old Wilkinson, Test rugby’s record points scorer, has only twice been axed by England, for Paul Grayson at the 1999 World Cup and for the now out-of-favour Danny Cipriani during the 2008 Six Nations.
But Johnson’s decision to release back-up fly-half Toby Flood, the only unused replacement against Italy, for club duty with Leicester this weekend, does not suggest England are contemplating a change at fly-half.
Wilkinson, capped 75 times by England, has arguably the best defence of any fly-half to have played international rugby and Johnson said players had to be looked at in the round.
“You have players who are not in the team who are potentially better at some areas of the game than guys that are in the team. You have to weigh up that overall impact,” Johnson added.
“I think Toby has been playing well. We are lucky to have two world-class players at 10.”
England, for all they talked about playing an attacking game against Italy, found themselves repeatedly drawn into dead-end kicking exchanges.
“This match highlighted again that he (Wilkinson) is not comfortable with the responsibility of being the team’s playmaker,” Dawson wrote.
“He can play in the way that has been planned on a flip chart in team meetings but if it comes down to him to work out on the hoof what options to take, more often than not he will kick and miss opportunities to attack.
“Jonny needs players around him, guys like Mike Catt, Will Greenwood, myself or Kyran Bracken, to take decisions, then he will execute them brilliantly.”
Wilkinson has made clear how much he values having an experienced player near him to direct operations and when Johnson was England captain always deflected any praise that came his way towards the likes of Greenwood and Catt.
Now Johnson has told scrum-half Danny Care and inside centre Riki Flutey to help shoulder the creative burden.
“We are not playing in isolation out there and that is something we will stress,” said Johnson. “Danny Care is improving all the time in that position and Riki was back for his first game at this level in six or seven months.
Courtesy of Sporting Life
HAVE YOUR SAY: Are the fans and critics being to harsh on him or is he pulling the team down?
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