England told to stop whingeing and get on with rebuilding

LONDON (AFP) — The pessimistic mood currently surrounding English rugby will not have been alleviated by a brutally frank assessment of where the current squad stands from one of its stalwarts, Josh Lewsey.

Andy Robinson, the man who has taken on the challenge of rebuilding after the departure of Sir Clive Woodward as coach and several titans of the 2003 World Cup squad, has seen his plans blown to smithereens by three straight defeats in the Six Nations championship.

Wales, France and Ireland all proved too good for Robinson's line-ups, and England's record in 14 Tests since the World Cup final now stands at won five, lost nine.

Robinson blamed South African referee Jonathan Kaplan for the defeat to Ireland in Dublin.

But Lewsey, a member of the side which beat Australia in that memorable final in Sydney, was prepared to admit the reality that England could ...