Robinson Crew - So?

See what I did there?

Delighted, though hardly surprised, to read today's BBC reports, claiming that England coach Andy Robinson will 'resign' today. From the expected terms of his dismissal, it seems clear that the hapless coach has been given the long-awaited ultimatum.

The correct result, obviously - Robinson's recent post-match interviews and frankly bizarre squad selections have increasingly resembled those of King Canute. However, quite why it took the stuffed suits at HQ so long to reach this conclusion is beyond me. Any armchair rugby fan would have seen the warning signs flashing ever since 'Taitgate'.

Of similar concern is the BBC's suggestion that Martin Johnson is in pole position to assume Robinson's vacant mantle. Now don't get me wrong here - I have utmost respect for Johnson's achievements on the field, and we all know how totemic his presence proved in the run-up to England's World Cup victory. He would almost certainly make my all-time World XV team, in fact, alongside Colin Meads in the engine room.

However, let's get real - Johnson hasn't even coached a pub sevens team since his playing career ended, let alone a national squad. Whilst his presence in the dressing room is likely to galvanise England's tattered yeomen, it will be essential that he is supported by a qualified coaching team. I can't realistically see any of the Premiership's usual suspects being allowed to break their club contracts mid-season, which rules out the likes of Richard Hill or Deans Ryan and Richards. Nigel Melville is also out of the question, of course, and it will be interesting to watch how the USA team improves under his stewardship. No, Brian Ashton must therefore be seen as the only realistic choice. With Ashton filling Clive's previous role, and Johnson in Andy Robinson's original place as squad Sergeant Major, that could work quite well.

Unlike the many doom-mongers out there, I still think England are capable of mounting at least a basically respectable defence of their Webb-Ellis Trophy. We may not have the stellar squad of 2003, at least seven of whom could have walked into any other national set-up, but there is still cause for a little hope. Providing, that is, the RFU don't let desperation cloud their already dubious judgement, and we end up with a genuinely credible coaching team.

Required Reading - In praise of The Hard Way

As a devoted trans-Atlantic subscriber to Outside magazine, it was with genuine sadness that I recently witnessed the final instalment of Mark Jenkins' celebrated column of outdoor essays, The Hard Way.

For those who haven't had the pleasure, Jenkins has regularly contributed some of the most powerful, articulate pieces of adventure journalism seen in recent years, covering subjects from alpinism and serious adventure travel to his family's sacred annual pull-up competition. His departure from Outside leaves a void - check out the latest Outside letters page to see how deep feelings run about this guy.

Fortunately, many of Jenkins' best musings live on via his own website, www.thehardway.com

Do check this out sometime.

Gourdon Brown

I never intended for this blog to become an extension of Alpkit's advertising team, but they just keep coming up with some great ideas at ludicrously low prices.

I would categorise Alpkit as the Innocent Smoothies of the outdoor world - seemingly too good to be true in product terms, and complemented by outstanding customer service. Their website also contains some lovely general musings on the outdoor lifestyle.

Witness the latest addition to Alpkit range - a stripped-down, fully waterproof dry bag/day pack called Gourdon:

http://www.alpkit.com/gourdon/

Simple idea, nicely executed. Kudos to the boys from Ilkley, yet again.

Quote of the day

"What is the appeal of freezing trackless wastes? Well, if they were trackless they wouldn't actually appeal to me. But freezing... oh yes, I love cold weather. It can't get too cold for me. It stimulates me somehow, the cold. And it's so easy to cope with - I mean, you just put more clothes on. In extreme heat there's nothing you can do except curl up and hope to die. Of the two extremes the cold is the one I go for every time."

(Dervla Murphy, travel writer, c/o The Independent on Sunday, 19/11/06)

Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

... but I have been remarkably slack at updating my blog recently. This will change. From now on, expect far more content - including climbing , music, rugby, nice quotes, general ramblings and plenty of updates on my favourite topic of all - KIT. That's outdoor gear, not the talking car. Though I can't rule out Hoff-related content, obviously.