England go cash crazy

I KNOW England boss Jack Rowell is disillusioned, distraught and in despair.

From what I've heard, his stars don't spend Friday nights before big international matches discussing how many points they might stick on Wales, Scotland, Ireland or France.

No, they're in little huddles discussing deals, moves and money - such as:

Will Martin Bayfield really pocket pounds 100,000 if he joins Harlequins?

Who's next up on the gravy train to join Rob Andrew at Newcastle?

And should I sign up for this sponsor . . . or is there a tastier financial deal waiting round the corner?

Jack is obviously finding it very difficult to adjust to the new professional era.

Interfere

And it doesn't help when he finds himself lumbered with players wheeler- dealing instead of worrying why the team has gone backwards.

Let's get one thing straight. I don't begrudge any of the England boys a single penny of the cash they now earn.

The demands and pressures on today's guys are greater than ever before.

But there is absolutely NO WAY that money-talk should ever interfere with preparation for international matches.

Once it does, it becomes a cancer that eats away at the spirit.

England need to focus all their energies on their problems - because there are plenty of them.

I thought Jack's decision to drop Tim Rodber was bizarre having brought the guy back for the Wales match. But axeing Bayfield was spot on.

Stick

The bloke just hasn't done enough to build on his reputation of a couple of years ago.

Others in the side - like Jerry Guscott, Ben Clarke and Jason Leonard - just haven't been pulling their weight.

Jack realises this and has tried to break up the comfort club that's set in over the past couple of seasons.

To then discover his players distracted by money must be infuriating to say the least.

For Jack - a proud rugby man who built his reputation at Bath through players willing to die for the club - it must be a terrible eye-opener.

The stick he's getting at the moment is relentless.

He must feel he knows what it's like to be Graham Taylor or Terry Venables. But that's professionalism for you.

And I still back Jack to get it right.

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