Graham Henry takes swipe at England management for letting players talk drivel

A dejected Chris Robshaw of England looks on during the World Cup Pool A match between England and Australia at Twickenham. Photo/Getty.

Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry says England "are simply not good enough" and believes the host nation had "talked too much" and provided the Wallabies with plenty of motivation in the lead-up to Sunday's defeat at Twickenham.

Writing in The Guardian, Henry rated England "at best, a six out of 10 and Australia a nine" and slammed No8 Ben Morgan's pre-match comments about how they were going to dismantle the Wallabies' scrum and use it as a catalyst to win the match.

"We have all got to accept England are simply not good enough," wrote Henry.

"Across the park their athleticism, skill level and execution paled in comparison with the hugely impressive Wallabies, who played at speed, had sublime skills and executed superbly most of the time."

England's work at the breakdown was stifled, said Henry, as they struggled to cope with Australia's physicality in the tackle or match the low body positioning of the Wallabies twin openside's David Pocock and Michael Hooper.

Their predictability contributed to their downfall, with Henry noting their reliance on using short-ball runners or telegraphing their intentions when spreading it wide, made it all too easy for the Wallabies' defence.

Australia's up-tempo style saw them play more on the advantage line, and with forward momentum they were able to recycle possession without any real pressure from England, which Henry added "was a major reason why they won."

He went on to question why England coach Stuart Lancaster allowed Morgan to talk up their prospects, and was shocked at Danny Cipriani's comments that not one of the Wallabies would make the England team.

"Why did the England management allow their players to talk such drivel to the media, stoking Australia's fire?" asked Henry.

"I couldn't believe Danny Cipriani saying not one of the Wallabies would make the England team and wondered if he had been misquoted.

"One of the golden rules in sport at this level is you never give the opposition a team talk. It's also one of the reasons teams love to beat England - they talk a good game!"

Henry noted that Australia's impressive display has put rival teams on notice, while England are left to dissect where there campaign faltered and conduct their post-mortem.

Ahead of the quarter-finals, Henry lists Australia as the team to watch, but notes South Africa are "distinctly beatable". The Springboks, he added, seem to be relying on "more brawn than skill", and he described Samoa as "one of the big disappointments of the tournament."

simply not good enough