JACK KNIFE!

JACK Rowell goes to Murrayfield on Saturday knowing that not even a Grand Slam-busting victory will guarantee him another year in the England hot seat.

Make no mistake, the knives are out. He may at last have put pen to paper on his contract for the current season. But, significantly, Twickenham have not yet offered Rowell an extension.

I can understand the concern. Players tell me there is no organisation, planning or man-management.

Now I always thought those were Jack Rowell's strong points. I was delighted when Twickenham appointed him to take over from Geoff Cooke.

But it is all going dreadfully wrong. Jack has got it right at last by recalling Dean Richards at No 8.

He is a footballer with a great pair of hands. That is something Ben Clarke and Tim Rodber, for all their marvellous qualities in other areas, will never be.

If I had been Jack, I would have gone to both Rob Andrew and Deano and begged them to give me another season and a half to bring on other players.

As it is, he is stuck with the wrong players.

I can't believe he has Paul Grayson at fly-half instead of Mike Catt.

Terrible

What's the point of having a strike full-back if the fly-half is never going to bring him into the game?

All Jack has done is turn Catt from an outstanding fly-half prospect into a terrible full back. Tim Stimpson is easily the best full back in the country, scoring tries and piling up the points for a poor team like West Hartlepool.

So Jack goes up to Murrayfield with the wrong team. But it's perfectly possible that England can stop Scotland winning the Grand Slam and then win the Triple Crown by beating Ireland at Twickenham.

It would be very hard to sack Jack then, but the changes must be made if we are to move forward from this.

Rowell should give up all coaching and concentrate on managing and inspiring the team.

Then I'd like to see the former England centre Clive Woodward given overall control of coaching after the wonderful job he has done with London Irish.

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