England show the so-called ‘experts’

Oct 18 2007 by Sean McGuire, Liverpool Daily Post

WHAT have the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell and the English rugby union team got in common?

No-one, not one of the various experts in both fields, was able to foretell their respective fates: in Sir Menzies’ case to cast him-self into political oblivion, in the England team’s case, to reach the world cup final.

My point is that we should all be sceptical – in sport more than in most things – of the views of the experts. After their humiliating defeat to South Africa in the opening phase of the World Cup, I very much doubt if there were many people prepared to even contemplate the idea that just a few weeks later, England would be playing the Springboks, in Paris, for the Webb Ellis trophy.

Indeed I read the opinions of most of the community of expert rugby union pundits and scribes, each of whom were mocking the inadequacies of the team, after the South Africa match, and I was astonished at the vehemence of their comments.

To sum them up is quite easy: the players are not up to it; the coach has no plan B; it is all Andy Farrell’s fault; no-one can stop the All Blacks!

Well, how wrong, how utterly wrong they were. England went on to beat the Aussies – who were being ‘bigged up large’ by all the experts – and then they defeated France, in Paris, to reach the final.

Will they win?

I do not know, I am not an expert on rugby union, which probably means that my guess is as good as anybody’s, which really means that I fervently hope they do win and then rub the noses of their humiliated critics into something very brown and unpleasant!