2. Steve Thompson – Offers nothing compared to 6 years ago, although his lineouts are possibly less bad. 4

3. David Wilson – Solid, unexceptional. 5

4. Louis Deacon – Still waiting to see why he is ever picked. Most anonymous player to ever pull on the shirt. 2

5. Steve Borthwick – Glad to say that this was his best game for some time at this level. 3 lineout steals and few errors. Not a carrier, never will be though. 7

6. Tom Croft – Not involved enough, but balance of back-row is all wrong for Croft. 5

7. Lewis Moody – Is he now truly an open-side? 8

8. Jordan Crane – Lazy. Slow. Doesn’t like rucks. 3

9. Danny Care – I expect to see Care slipping down the pecking order soon as Simpson and Hodgson are out performing him too often. 4

10. Jonny Wilkinson – Defensively fantastic, offensively hit and miss. Too deep and too predictable at times, but still one of the best. 7

11. Matt Banahan – Rubbish would sum it up. 2

12. Shane Geraghty – I think he was massively hampered by Wilkinson’s deep position at times, but Geraghty is going to have to do much, much better. 3

13. Dan Hipkiss – a man at 13 who can’t or never passes will never make much of an impact. Hence Jamie Noon…… 5

14. Mark Cueto – at least he tries to play rugby even though he has to feed on scraps. 6

15. Ugo Monye – One of the worst performances I have seen in an England shirt. Took 74 minutes before even looking to pass. Genuinely pathetic all-round – passing, positioning, decision-making. 1

The subs that got a chance to show anything:

Duncan Bell – solid, unexceptional. 5

Courtney Lawes – could be the chosen one. 7

James Haskell – dynamic. 7

Paul Hodgson – quicker and brighter. 6

Ayoola Erinle – cant catch. What is he doing here. 5

Please, please, please can we see Lawes and Haskell start next week? And what has Jon Clarke got to do? Erinle???
Hartley should probably start as well. England were utterly lacking in ball-carriers, a fact clearly obvious beforehand but apparently missed by Johnson. If nobody can get some pace on it up-front the rucks will be slow, the backline flat and chance of tries will be ZERO.

If Monye plays it has to be at wing, but I think he is a poor all-round player and only any use when put into space, which looks unlikely in this side.

I’ve had enough of this Johnson-led team already. I just don’t know if he understands how rucks work in the modern game. Picks the wrong players for the job as well. Going to have to be a big turnaround if we are to see any results before 2011.

Borthwick – 6/10 – strong in the lineout in the first half with a couple of excellent steals. He has good lineout technique and uses his hands well, but still he lacks the presence of better locks. Didn’t see him much in the loose, which is no bad thing given that he has the ability (or lack of) of Paul O’Connell when playing with the ball in-hand.

Croft – 6/10 – just an extra mark, but deserved. He did a lot of good work in the rucks, highlighted by winning a penalty for an Aussie holding on. His perfect body position over the ball could be seen once everyone climbed off and you could see him still holding onto the ball, triumphant. I would like to see him more in the loose but I’ve equally criticised him in other games for hanging around on the wing too much and not performing his duties, so it’d be unfair to moan here. The best place for him is on the chase and counter-attack. I’d love to see him challenging for a few up-and-unders with his combination of height and speed.

Geraghty – no issue with the mark (4/10) that you gave. But he must must must play next week against Argentina. He has shown enough class in the Premiership that he deserves to redeem his reputation. The same cannot be said for Banahan.

Next week:
1. Payne
2. Hartley
3. Wilson
4. Shaw
5. Lawes or Kennedy
6. Croft
7. Moody
8. Haskell
9. Hodgson
10. Wilkinson
11. Monye
12. Geraghty
13. Hipkiss
14. Cueto (well, Strettle, but that dream seems unlikely)
15. Foden (anyone but Monye here)

Hartley – 7/10
Lawes – 7/10
Haskell – 7/10
Hodgson – 6/10
Erinle – 2/10