Should we return to Hell?

The home nations rugby sides are currently licking their wounds after another emphatic reminder that they are still playing catch up with the Southern Hemisphere on the international stage.

Scotland may have claimed one win out of two in hostile surroundings in Argentina but Ireland, Wales and England all came up short against the big guns of the south.

The question on the minds of management staff, fans and even the players now is probably something on the lines of ‘was it really worth it’?

Wales came back to earth with a bump following their Six Nations grand slam as World Cup winners South Africa showed just how poor the standard of this year’s competition really was.

The Springboks showed the true meaning of the word ‘champions’ as they eased to two comfortable test victories while playing largely within themselves.

Ireland put up a spirited display against New Zealand, but never really stretched the All Blacks or a weak Australia side.

Skipper Brian O’Driscoll openly raised concerns about the demands of overseas tours at the end of a World Cup season and suggested the players may have been better off putting their feet off at home.

But it was England who suffered worst on their tour and I’m not even taking into account the allegations against the so-called ‘gang of four’ relating to an incident at the team hotel in
Auckland after the first test.

A young side was emphatically put away by an Kiwi team in transition, making a mockery of all pre-match talk concerning the ‘drain of All Black talent’ and the ‘depth of English rugby’.

New England supremo Martin Johnson seems to have dodged a bullet by electing to miss the series and stay at home with his expectant wife.

So the issue is whether we have learned anything from these tours, whether they serve any purpose.

I have no doubt that these trips are an essential part of a young rugby player’s education as there is nothing quite like touring and the experience of playing an away test in the Southern Hemisphere.

You could almost excuse the numerous senior pros who pulled out of touring with their respective country because of injuries, some more convincing than others.

They may well think they have done the whole tour experience and at this stage in their careers they have to look after their bodies in an increasingly demanding rugby calendar.

But for young players these trips can prove an invaluable experience, if a humbling one, and surely these bright prospects are the sort of players who could be returning south in the red of the Lions for next year’s tour of South Africa.

The fact they have already been on a tour with an international side and faced the cream of global rugby in their own back yard can only stand them in better stead.

We also hear of people like Jonny Wilkinson who was part of the original ‘Tour of Hell’ to Australia in 1998 and how it turned out to be the making of the young man.

It is a well known coaching maxim that the time when you really find out about your players is not when they are coasting to victory but when they are being dominated and how they respond.

England’s trip to New Zealand may forever be remembered for whatever did happen in that hotel and the fact our young hopefuls were roundly trounced.

But maybe, just maybe, we will talk to a James Haskell or a Tom Rees in a few years time and they will say how the tour was an integral step on their path to becoming a top international player.

In terms of the tabloid headlines that have overshadowed the actual rugby side of the tour, I don’t want to say too much because – quite frankly – we have no idea what exactly happened.

What I do find outrageous is the blame levelled at Rob Andrew for allowing the players to go out on the town and the idea that if Martin Johnson was present all the boys would have behaved like angels.

Touring is a massive bonding experience that can build a team but the time spent relaxing off the pitch is equally as important as those intense moments in the heat of a test match.

Players need to be able to let off steam and they should be able to go out for a few drinks a week before the next game whether they win, lose or draw.

But when they are given freedom it is up to the players to take responsibility for themselves.
They may be young men, but they are not children and should have to face the consequences of their actions.

As I said, we don’t actually know whether they have done anything wrong and it is likely that the England management staff don’t know either, so of course they are right to support the players.

But if any of the allegations do turn out to be true, or even if they are false but the players have still acted in a way to discredit the rest of the squad, then there is noone to blame but the individuals themselves.