The fallout from England’s disastrous world cup campaign last month and the farcical power struggle in the national governing body, the RFU, continue to feature prominently on the sports pages of our national press.
Many respected gentlemen inside and outside the sport have offered their views on how to create a fully functional and effective governing body and how to create a functional, effective and, most importantly of all, a winning national side.

As a layman I can’t improve  upon what these worthies have put forward but it occurs to me that if all or at least some of the following words and phrases can become imprinted in the collective mindset then we could begin to make progress.

Words like (and in no particular order) – honesty, humility, dignity, honour, decency, trust, loyalty, respect, integrity, grace, belief, responsibility, duty, maturity, enthusiasm, leadership, strength, strength of character, passion, self-control, tolerance, flexibility, organisation, commitment, hard work, professionalism and of course, at least as far as the players are concerned talent, flair, wit, intelligence, creativity, vision and imagination.

In summary, a bit of class, both on and off the pitch, would not go amiss.